“My experience with Bauer is not anything remotely close to what everyone else’s experience is. I love him, I think he’s an awesome guy. The personal things? I have no control,” the former Red Sox star told the LA Times while at the World Series filming content for the league. “He’s an awesome pitcher. He’s a great guy.”

Betts and Bauer were teammates on the Dodgers in 2021, after Bauer signed a three-year, $102 million contract. That June, a San Diego woman sought an order of protection against Bauer, and alleged that he’d committed sexual battery against her on two occasions. MLB placed him on administrative leave – and extended said leave nine times – as they investigated.

In April 2022, the league handed down an unprecedented 324-game suspension, more than twice the length of the previous record, under their Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse policy. After an independent arbiter reduced Bauer’s suspension to 194 games last December, the Dodgers released him. When no MLB team signed him, he spent the season pitching in Japan.

Bauer recently settled the sexual assault case in question, but he’s also been accused of similar behavior by three women in different states. Not long after the first woman came forward, news broke that an Ohio woman had obtained an order of protection against the pitcher in June 2020, for a similar incident in 2017. The Washington Post published disturbing messages Bauer allegedly sent the woman. “I don’t feel like spending time in jail for killing someone,” read one. “And that’s what would happen if I saw you again.”

The Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, whom Bauer pitched for during those years, denied having any knowledge of the situation.

In June of this year, an Arizona woman filed a lawsuit against the pitcher, alleging that, in 2020, he’d raped her while holding a knife to her throat, choked her until she passed out, and that she became pregnant. She‘d previously filed a complaint against him in December regarding the incident, but no charges were filed. He countersued in April and claimed the encounter was consensual. While he alleged that the woman tried to extort him and that she terminated the pregnancy, he admitted to paying her $8,761 for “expenses.” Her complaint states that she miscarried.

Long before any of this began, Bauer already had a reputation for online harassment of women in sports. In the late 2010s, he made it a point to send his hundreds of thousands of followers after female reporters and fans, sometimes in retaliation for criticism, other times unprovoked. In 2019, the then-27-year-old pitcher spent over 24 hours harassing a college student because she tweeted that he was her “least favorite person in all sports.” He tweeted at and about her 80 different times, continuing to target her long after she stopped responding and blocked him.

Betts’ show of support for Bauer is a sharp pivot from several previous reports which described a disgusted Dodgers clubhouse that wanted nothing to do with their disgraced teammate. It was also met with scorn by many baseball fans on social media, who pointed out that, of course, Betts’ experience with Bauer wouldn’t have been “anything remotely close to” those of the women accusing him of assault.

Meet the press

The Red Sox are waiting until Thursday, an off-day in the ongoing World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers, to officially introduce Craig Breslow as their new chief baseball officer.

Monday was the 10th anniversary of the Red Sox winning it all in 2013, a championship to which Breslow was instrumental. Serendipitously, his reintroduction falls on Nov. 2, the 10th anniversary of the World Series parade.

Around the league

ALCS MVP Adolis García and Max Scherzer, who left Monday night’s start with back tightness, will miss the remainder of the World Series due to a strain and back tightness, respectively, the Texas Rangers announced on Tuesday evening.

In his first-ever postseason, García’s bat has impressed some of baseball’s greatest hitters, including David Ortiz. Over 15 games, the 30-year-old Cuban outfielder hit .323 with a 1.108 OPS, eight home runs (tied for second-most in a single postseason in MLB history) and 15 RBI. Losing him is a crushing blow to the Rangers, who are vying for their first championship.

Aaron Judge still hasn’t played in a World Series, but he can add the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award to his already-crowded trophy cabinet. After winning the American League MVP award and breaking fellow Yankee Roger Maris’ AL Home Run record in 2022, Judge was singled out as the Major Leaguer “who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field” this year.

The Yankees’ newest captain received baseball’s “highest honor” (commissioner Rob Manfred’s words) for his All Rise Foundation, which supports youth in New York and the San Joaquin and Fresno, California counties where he grew up.

After letting the Giants hire Bob Melvin, the Padres are in search of a new manager for the seventh time in nine years. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Benji Gil, Phil Nevin, and Eric Chavez are among the external candidates, but former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and Ryan Flaherty are still the favorites.

The World Series could wrap up as soon as Thursday night, and once it does the offseason will rapidly accelerate as free agency kicks off, the trade market re-opens and clubs face a series of important deadlines.

First up, free agency and the trade market officially open the day after the World Series ends, but free agents won’t be able to sign with new teams until five days afterwards. That means clubs will have an exclusive window to re-sign their own players.

All option decisions must be finalized within that five-day window as well, so Breslow’s first order of business will be figuring out a plan for the five Red Sox players who are either pending free agents or likely to become one.

Will they stay? Will they go? Do the Red Sox have any candidates for a qualifying offer? Here’s where things stand with each player.

Justin Turner, 1B/DH

Turner was one of Boston’s most valuable players last season, but his situation is complex and navigating it will be one of the most important challenges Breslow faces this winter.

Turner has a $13.4 million player option with a $6.7 million buyout, which means if he declines his option he’d only need to land a one-year deal worth approximately $7 million to exceed the money he’d make exercising the option. He should top that easily after batting .276 with an .800 OPS, 23 home runs and a career-high 96 RBI, so the question isn’t whether Turner will become a free agent, but how the Red Sox should proceed once he does.

On one hand, Turner established himself as a clubhouse leader and was one of Boston’s most productive offensive players, so if he leaves the Red Sox will have a big hole to fill. On the other hand, he’s about to turn 39 and at this point is best utilized as a full-time DH, which will restrict the club’s roster flexibility and make it harder to improve defensively.

There are pros and cons to either approach, but one thing that isn’t likely is the Red Sox extending Turner a qualifying offer. That would amount to a one-year, $20.5 million deal, which Turner would almost certainly accept, guaranteeing himself over $27 million for 2024 factoring his option buyout. It’s hard to imagine the Red Sox extending any of their other free agents a qualifying offer this year either.

Adam Duvall, OF

Duvall signed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $7 million deal and for the most part lived up to expectations. Though he missed two months due to a broken wrist, Duvall also hit 21 home runs and posted an .834 OPS, providing the right-handed pop the Red Sox hoped for.

Will he come back? That’ll depend in large part on what else the Red Sox do with their outfield this winter.

For much of the season the Red Sox had four outfielders seeing regular playing time, those being Duvall, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran. The simplest thing the Red Sox could do to clear that logjam is let Duvall walk and go into next season with an outfield of Yoshida, Duran and Verdugo. However, they could also trade Verdugo, move Yoshida to full-time DH or shake things up in some other way where Duvall might make sense to bring back on another one-year deal.

James Paxton, LHP

After missing all of 2022 due to injury, Paxton came back to the Red Sox on a one-year, $4 million player option and wound up becoming one of the best bargains in baseball. The veteran lefty emerged as one of Boston’s best arms following his return in May, but he ran out of gas in the second half and missed the final month of the season.

Paxton deserves a lot of credit for coming back after nearly three years away and should garner interest in free agency, but it’s difficult to imagine the Red Sox re-signing the oft-injured veteran when what they need most is reliable inning-eaters to bolster their rotation.

Joely Rodriguez, LHP

Rodriguez was the first free agent signing the Red Sox made last winter, but the talented lefty couldn’t stay on the mound. Rodriguez only appeared in 11 games for Boston and posted a 6.55 ERA, and those handful of outings came interspersed between three separate trips to the injured list.

Given that track record and his prior injury history, it’s hard to imagine the Red Sox picking up his $4.25 million club option. It’s more likely they’ll pay his $500,000 buyout and let the soon-to-be 32-year-old hit the market.

Corey Kluber, RHP

This one’s a no-brainer. Kluber went 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA in 15 games (nine starts) at age 37 and missed the entire second half due to injury. Expect the Red Sox to decline his $11 million club option and look to invest that money elsewhere.

How very Red Sox of them, too.

Adolis García is having a David Ortiz-level October, and in Boston, that’s not a comparison made lightly.

Entering Sunday, García has homered eight times in 14 postseason games, the first of his five-year career in the Majors. That ties his teammate, Corey Seager (2020 Dodgers), Nelson Cruz (2011 Rangers), Carlos Beltrán (2004 Astros), and Barry Bonds (2002 Giants) for second-most homers in a single postseason in MLB history. Two more, and he’ll tie Randy Arozarena, who happens to be his best friend, former St. Louis Cardinals teammate, and the father of García’s goddaughter.

The two unexpected heroes’ origin stories are somewhat similar. Following the 2002 season, the Minnesota Twins famously tried and failed to trade Ortiz, and so, released him to save money. The Red Sox signed him to a non-guaranteed contract less than a month later, and he arrived in Boston as the championship drought was entering its 85th year. They clinched the American League Wild Card (it was a single-team format then) in each of his first two seasons.

This is the Rangers’ 52nd season, and they’re one of the last teams without a World Series trophy. In December ‘19, the Cardinals designated García for assignment, and traded him to Texas for cash considerations. The Rangers would also DFA García in February ‘21, but when no one claimed him off waivers, they were able to outright him to the minors.

Over three seasons since, García has been an All-Star twice. He earned American League Championship Series MVP by collecting 10 hits, five home runs (including a 9th-inning grand slam), and a postseason-record 15 RBI in the seven-game series.

Ortiz was a two-time All-Star and ALCS MVP over his first three seasons in Boston, too. He and García are two of 54 players who’ve homered at least five times over a postseason run.

But even Ortiz, the most clutch bat in the history of Boston playoff baseball, never hit five in a single postseason series. Back in the postseason as one of the faces of FOX Sports, he’s had high praise for the Rangers slugger.

“People talk about that, what he’s doing is not human, and I absolutely agree,” Ortiz said during the Game 2 pregame show. “Pitchers, look at me,” he added, gesturing to the camera. “Do not hit him! When you hit him, his evil side comes out, and then he gets more dangerous.”

“This guy, he’s hotter than a firecracker,” the Hall of Famer told the Boston Globe. “I love it, I love it because I know what it takes… I had my time and now it’s somebody else’s turn.”

In honor of the 2004 World Series anniversary over the weekend, here’s how García’s tremendous October stacks up against Ortiz’s greatest 2004 hits:

2023 AL Wild Card, Game 2 (Oct. 4)

García breaks the scoreless tie with a leadoff home run off Zach Eflin. Rangers go on to win 7-1 to advance to the division series.

2004 ALDS, Game 3

Ortiz’s walk-off home run and three RBI make the difference in the extra-inning victory over the then-Anaheim Angels, sending the Red Sox back to the ALCS.

2023 ALDS, Game 3 (Oct. 10)

With Texas up 1-0 on Baltimore, García hits a 2-run homer in the bottom of the second. He drives in 3, the difference in the 11-8 victory.

2004 ALCS, Games 4 and 5

Ortiz hits a walk-off home run and walk-off RBI single to end extra-inning stalemates (12 and 14 innings, respectively) and keep the Red Sox from elimination. He becomes the first player in MLB history to walk off two consecutive postseason games, and the Red Sox become the first team to ever come back from 0-3 to win a best-of-seven series. He homers again in Game 7 and is named ALCS MVP.

2023 ALCS, Games 4-7 (Oct. 19-23)

After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Rangers drop three straight games to the Astros, putting them on the brink of elimination. García homers five times and drives in 13 runs over the last four contests, including a four-hit, two-homer, five-RBI performance in Game 7 to send the Rangers to the World Series for the first time since 2011. He’s named ALCS MVP.

2004 World Series, Game 1

Ortiz sets the tone immediately, going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two walks in the 11-9 victory over the Cardinals. St. Louis doesn’t win a single game, and the Red Sox finally reverse the curse.

2023 World Series, Game 1

García breaks the 5-5 tie with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th, giving the Rangers their first victory in a World Series since Game 5 in 2011.

Of course, Ortiz didn’t become Boston’s Mr. October after 2003 or 2004. He racked up 76 playoff games over eight Octobers between 2003-16, his clutch-ness consistent enough for three rings.

But if this is García’s idea of just getting started, how thrilling to imagine where he’ll go from here.

Today we cover the chaotic head of baseball operations search that led to Breslow’s hiring, Boston’s top offseason priorities, potential trade targets and more.

Would the Red Sox have just stuck with Chaim Bloom if they knew in advance that they’d have such a hard time interviewing top, experienced candidates? — Adam V.

My intuition is no, but on some level Red Sox ownership must realize now how badly they’ve damaged their own standing within the wider baseball landscape.

Once upon a time being the Red Sox’ head baseball executive would have been considered a top three job in the sport, one anybody would leap at the opportunity to have. Red Sox ownership clearly felt this way, with CEO Sam Kennedy dismissing concerns about how candidates might view the franchise’s recent instability by saying “this is the Boston Red Sox” and that if anyone wasn’t on board with the challenge of working in Boston, “thanks but no thanks.”

The fact so many ideal candidates, including several with close ties to Boston, said “thanks but no thanks” themselves is an indictment of Red Sox ownership and their treatment of top executives this past decade.

Fenway Sports Group is going to have to own that and take a cold, hard look in the mirror, but as it pertains to Bloom, if they no longer believed he was the right man for the job, then they were right to move on and likely still feel that way. Breslow could turn out fantastic and in a couple of years hiring him could look like a stroke of genius, but on some level things obviously didn’t play out like the Red Sox envisioned.

The Sox have many holes to fill, in what order should they address the needs? Where do they start? — Tom H.

Pitching. Specifically the starting rotation. Over the past two seasons the lack of reliable starting pitching has sunk the club, and that needs to change going forward. The Red Sox can’t keep counting on unreliable or unproven arms to carry the load, so before they do anything else they need to go out and get some big-time arms.

Fortunately, this is a great year to be in the market for a starting pitcher. There are at least a dozen quality starters available on the free agent market, and that doesn’t include the possible trade candidates the Red Sox could try and acquire.

The biggest get would be 25-year-old Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to win his third straight Sawamura Award (Japan’s equivalent to the Cy Young) and boasts both excellent stuff and terrific control. Other free agent targets include Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola, San Diego’s Blake Snell, Texas’ Jordan Montgomery or Minnesota’s Sonny Gray, and Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner, is believed to be a likely trade candidate due to his looming free agency next offseason and deteriorating relationship with the club.

MLB notes: The Red Sox need starting pitching, and there will be plenty available this offseason

The Red Sox likely need to add at least two starters to really shore up next year's rotation, and once they do that then they'll be in a much better spot to address their other holes. Shaking up the outfield, adding bullpen depth and squaring away the designated hitter position should all be priorities, but if the Red Sox can't pitch deep into games then none of that will matter.

What's the best case scenario with our outfield on Opening Day? — Mike S.

The Red Sox outfield is in a fascinating place, to such a degree that it's hard to even define what a best case scenario might look like. So instead, let's examine three approaches the club could take: status quo, youth movement or dramatic shakeup.

In a status quo scenario, the Red Sox outfield might look similar to how it did last year, only likely somewhat more streamlined. In this case the Red Sox might go with Masataka Yoshida in left, Jarren Duran in center and either Alex Verdugo or Adam Duvall in right, with Verdugo either being traded and Duvall re-signed or Verdugo sticking around and Duvall allowed to leave in free agency. This is a pretty good outfield, but maybe not the most interesting to consider, so how else could things go?

In a youth movement scenario, the Red Sox could hand the keys to their prospects and move on from some of the veterans. In this case, we'd see Jarren Duran joined in the outfield by Wilyer Abreu and possibly also Ceddanne Rafaela, with Verdugo likely traded, Duvall allowed to leave and Yoshida possibly moved to full-time DH. This group could have an incredibly high ceiling, but it would be very risky as well. With Rafaela likely needing a bit more seasoning in the minors, this scenario feels like the most unlikely of the bunch.

How about if new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is feeling ambitious and wants to make serious waves? Well, a great way to do that would be by trading for Juan Soto, one of baseball's brightest young stars. That would transform the lineup overnight and immediately elevate the Red Sox outfield into one of the game's best. Breslow could also target another exciting, less obvious name instead, but in either case it's conceivable next year's outfield could look radically different.

All three approaches have merit, so it will be interesting to see which way Breslow goes.

MLB Notes: Trading for Juan Soto would be risky, but Red Sox should still do it

I want the Red Sox to be better next year, but I don't want them to trade A-level prospects to do so (Mayer, Anthony, Teel). I would even be reluctant to part with Abreu, Rafaela or Duran. Do you foresee them parting with farm depth because of the relatively weak free agent market? — Eliot B.

The nice thing about the Red Sox farm system is there's enough depth to deal from without necessarily parting with any of the players you just mentioned. Boston is particularly loaded with infield talent, so if the Red Sox wanted to make a trade that would be the logical pool to draw from.

Some prospects who'd make sense to deal include former first-round pick Nick Yorke, Chase Meidroth and Blaze Jordan, all of whom are highly regarded and would have value on the market but whose paths to the big leagues could be blocked. Whether it's one of those three or someone else in a similar boat, the Red Sox could maximize their value and bolster the MLB roster without gutting the farm system as a whole.

Of course, if the Red Sox want to land a front-of-the-rotation starter with years of team control or an All-Star bat, they'll likely need to include one or two top prospects as well. This isn't something we ever saw during Bloom's tenure, but perhaps Breslow will take a different approach and start dealing from the surplus of talent Bloom acquired.

Why isn’t the firing of Sam Kennedy ever discussed? Hiring a new CEO who could then hire his own baseball ops executive who could then decide on Cora or a new field manager. Just seems so logically orderly and crisp this way. — @GOPinBoston

The simple answer is because the Red Sox front office is happy with Kennedy's job performance and has never given any reason for us to believe otherwise. Beyond that, the Red Sox also made Kennedy a partner in Fenway Sports Group back in March 2021, so Kennedy doesn't just report to the club's ownership group, he's part of it himself.

The other thing to remember when it comes to Kennedy is his job is to oversee all aspects of the Red Sox, and the on-field product is only a part of that. Kennedy also oversees the club's sponsorships, broadcast rights, marketing, real estate and everything else that comes with running an MLB organization, so if things are more or less going smoothly in those other areas then ownership wouldn't have an incentive to shake things up at the CEO level.

Now, given that the Red Sox have fired their last three baseball bosses in relatively quick succession, you could reasonably argue whoever made those hires ought to be held accountable. The trouble is those decisions aren't being made by one person alone, but by John Henry, Tom Werner, Kennedy and other influential powerbrokers within the Fenway Sports Group inner circle. Those people also want Alex Cora to stick around, which is why the Red Sox are only swapping out one link in the chain of command rather than the whole thing.

How quickly do you think the Red Sox could be a contender again? — Daniel L.

If they're willing to invest in the club and make bold moves, I don't think it's crazy to imagine the Red Sox being championship contenders as soon as next season. Just look at the Texas Rangers. Last year they went 68-94, now they're in the World Series.

The Red Sox are capable of a quick turnaround as well, and they've proven it numerous times over the past decade. They went from utter darkness in 2012 to a World Series title in 2013, back-to-back last-place finishes in 2014-15 to three straight AL East titles and the 2018 World Series, and then from the COVID-19 nightmare in 2020 to the 2021 ALCS run.

The problem, obviously, has been sustaining success so the turnarounds aren't needed in the first place, but right now the club is uniquely positioned for the future. The farm system is loaded with both quality and depth and several key pieces are already in place at the big league level for the next four years or longer. The Red Sox have financial flexibility, intriguing trade pieces and fewer holes than you might expect, so if the organization is ready to make its move, the transformation could be swift and dramatic.

It's obviously premature to say next year should be World Series or bust, but there's no reason fans shouldn't expect significant improvement from the Red Sox in 2024.

It should be a great series, but obviously for Red Sox fans the real show will begin once the final out has been recorded.

This has the potential to be a transformational offseason. The Red Sox have a new chief baseball officer in Craig Breslow, money to spend and big decisions to make. So what are the biggest storylines fans should follow once the Hot Stove starts heating up?

The Herald’s Red Sox beat writers debate.

Gabrielle Starr: Without a doubt, the top league storyline is Shohei Ohtani. He’s unlike any other player we’ve ever seen, so his free agency is sure to be one for the ages, and he’s all but guaranteed to get a record-breaking contract. Will he become baseball’s first $500 million player? With such a truly unprecedented player, it feels like there’s no way to really predict the outcome, but my gut is telling me that we’re all going to end up with our jaws on the floor one way or another.

Then, for this market, the storyline will be whether the Red Sox go back to really flexing their muscles on the free agent market and in trades. They’ve got the financial flexibility and farm system to really build up their roster this winter and make themselves relevant again. Plus, they have a brand new chief baseball officer in Craig Breslow, and it’ll be interesting to see how he tackles his first offseason in the driver’s seat.

Mac Cerullo: How Breslow makes his mark is the biggest thing for me. These past four years we’ve become accustomed to the Red Sox going about their business a particular way, and even now that Chaim Bloom is gone it feels like a lot of fans are assuming the club will stick to a similar methodical, forward-focused approach.

But what if they don’t? What if Breslow immediately starts shaking things up by swinging trades none of us could have ever seen coming? Right now the idea of the Red Sox signing a player like Ohtani seems outlandish, but is it really? We have no idea, and if you’re a Red Sox fan that’s got to be very exciting.

Starr: The Red Sox really struggle to develop pitching, so it makes sense that Breslow appeals to them; his crowning achievement as the Cubs’ vice president of pitching was their improved pipeline of arms.

Unfortunately, this is an area of need that he can’t transform overnight, and after three last-place finishes in four seasons (in large part due to lack of pitching), the Red Sox know they need to bring in some proven arms while Breslow figures out the farm. He’ll need to deviate from Bloom’s track record of short-term deals for veteran arms coming off injuries or in the waning years their careers, and actually part with a bundle of prospects in a trade or fork over a big contract to someone like Aaron Nola.

Which leads back to Ohtani. Should the Red Sox be the ones to sign him? Obviously, he’s Shohei Ohtani. Having him in Boston automatically refills the seats, which have been at record lows the last two years. That said, the Red Sox need starting pitching more than anything, and elbow surgery – his second since coming to the Majors in 2018 – will keep Ohtani off the mound in 2024. Doing it all is what makes him such a unique marvel. It also means signing him is an enormous, expensive risk.

Meanwhile, what about Juan Soto? He’s the biggest name on the trade market, but is he a fit for the Red Sox?

Cerullo: I touched on Soto in a recent column, but to put it simply, yes. Soto is a genuine superstar and boasts arguably the best combination of power and plate discipline we’ve seen in baseball since Barry Bonds. He’d instantly transform the Red Sox lineup and if they got him it would immediately flip the narrative that the organization is unwilling to invest in premium talent.

MLB Notes: Trading for Juan Soto would be risky, but Red Sox should still do it

There are others the Red Sox could get who'd make a major impact. You mentioned Nola, Japan's Yoshinobu Yamamoto is another, but are there any less obvious players you think could be interesting possibilities for this club? Either an under-the-radar free agent or an outside-the-box trade candidate?

Starr: My concern with trading for Soto is that it will require giving up a lot for what is likely a short-term rental. He only has one year of club control left, but the Padres’ asking price will be higher due the exclusive negotiating rights that come with him.

However, Soto is a Scott Boras client, which almost guarantees he’ll decide test free agency next year. As talented as he is, if the Padres ask for too much, the Red Sox should let another team give it up. They have promising outfield talent with far more club control, and should focus on their real areas of need.

What do you think about pursuing a reunion with Eduardo Rodriguez? The Red Sox already know he can handle pitching in Boston, and he and Breslow were teammates way back when.

Cerullo: I don't hate the idea, but he wouldn't be my choice personally. I'd rather Yamamoto or Nola, and if not them my preference would be a trade for someone like Corbin Burnes or George Kirby rather than signing a Blake Snell or Rodriguez type to a huge deal.

Beyond the big ticket items, a smaller deal I'd be interested in is a one-year deal for someone like Whit Merrifield. The Red Sox could use an upgrade at second base, and adding a short-term veteran who won't block Marcelo Mayer seems like a better plan than relying on Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez.

To put a bow on it, Breslow's going to have a lot on his plate this winter. Besides what we've covered, there's also the matter of Alex Verdugo and Justin Turner's future in Boston, potential contract extensions for Triston Casas and Brayan Bello, and who will become Boston's new pitching and third base coaches.

No matter what happens, these next few months are going to be interesting.

You know, just like we all predicted.

It’s hard to imagine many World Series matchups as improbable as this one. Entering the year both Texas and Arizona were coming off losing seasons and on multiple occasions each looked like it was cooked. Things were especially dire after the two clubs fell behind 3-2 in their respective league championship series, but then both went on the road and won two straight to deny their opponents a second (or third) consecutive pennant.

It should be an exciting series, but if you’re from New England why should you care?

Even if the Red Sox aren’t playing there are still plenty of relevant storylines that should interest fans. Here are a few to watch as the Fall Classic kicks off.

Old friends on big stage

Nathan Eovaldi is no stranger to the bright lights of October, and after leading the Red Sox on two deep postseason runs during his time in Boston, the right-hander is now playing a starring role for the Rangers.

Eovaldi has been lights out since signing with Texas this past offseason and has carried the Rangers throughout their playoff run. Through four starts Eovaldi is 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 26 innings, posting a quality start each time out and pitching the Rangers to a critical Game 6 victory in Houston. He will start Game 1 for Texas on Friday night.

Beyond Eovaldi the Rangers also feature former Red Sox left-hander Martin Perez, who pitched for the 2021 club that reached the ALCS. Perez posted a 4.45 ERA in 35 games (20 starts) this season and appeared in two games out of the bullpen for the Rangers in the ALCS.

On the other side, former Red Sox outfielder Tommy Pham has had an interesting journey since leaving Boston this past offseason. The 35-year-old signed with the New York Mets and was initially expected to be a platoon bat off the bench, but instead he emerged as one of New York’s best bats. He was traded at the deadline as part of the Mets’ midseason selloff and is now a fixture in the middle of the Diamondbacks’ order.

The Diamondbacks are also run by former Red Sox general manager Mike Hazen, who recently signed an extension to remain in Arizona rather than pursue his former team’s head of baseball operations position. Now in his seventh year in the desert, Hazen’s executed an impressive rebuild and now has the Diamondbacks set up to contend for years to come.

Checking out potential new friends?

Besides checking in on former Red Sox players who have moved on, fans might be interested in scouting possible offseason targets who could potentially come to Boston this winter.

The most notable name to watch is Jordan Montgomery. Acquired at the trade deadline from St. Louis, the Rangers starter has been excellent this October, going 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in five games (four starts). More importantly for the Red Sox, he’s also a proven workhorse who has made 30 or more starts in three straight seasons and just racked up a career-high 188.2 innings this past year.

For reference, Brayan Bello led the Red Sox in innings with 157 this year, and no Red Sox starter has thrown 185 or more innings since Eduardo Rodriguez in 2019 (203.1).

Beyond Montgomery there aren’t any obvious free agent or trade targets, but one other possibility is Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The pending free agent hit 24 home runs with 35 doubles this year, earning his first All-Star nod along the way, and would be an option if the Red Sox decided to move on from both Alex Verdugo and Adam Duvall.

A blueprint for Boston?

If it feels like the Red Sox are a long way from championship contention, the Rangers are a good reminder that a club’s fortunes can change in a hurry.

Last year the Rangers lost 94 games. The year before that they lost 102. Texas hadn’t even posted a winning record since 2016, but this year their recent aggressiveness paid off and now they’re four wins from capturing their first World Series in franchise history.

How did they do it? By supplementing an impressive homegrown core with big outside investments. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien have more than lived up to their big contracts, and even if Texas’ big bet on Jacob deGrom blew up, the club doubled down by bringing in Eovaldi and later Montgomery and Max Scherzer to ensure it had the arms to compete.

There’s nothing stopping the Red Sox from executing a similar playbook, so even if it feels like Boston is years away the Rangers should inspire hope that things could flip faster than many fans expect.

“They’re not going to have the essence of the franchise that we left, the culture that we left is going to be lost. And we don’t know when we’re going to get it back and how we’re going to get it back,” Martinez warned reporters.

“We need to bring back the culture,” the Hall of Famer reiterated at the end of September.

In hiring Craig Breslow, the Red Sox signal an attempt to restore that kind of culture, which made Boston the winningest baseball club this century.

How fitting that they made the official announcement on Wednesday, Martinez’s birthday.

By giving Breslow the keys to the kingdom, the Red Sox are repeating history and hoping to repeat history.

For the second hiring cycle in a row, they’ve eschewed leadership experience in favor of upside. Like Chaim Bloom, Breslow will be a first-timer in the driver’s seat; his most recent, highest-ranking position with the Chicago Cubs was assistant general manager and vice president of pitching.

But Breslow isn’t an unknown entity in Boston, far from it. His 12 seasons in the Majors included stints with the Red Sox in 2006-07, and 2011-15. In 2013, he posted a career-best 1.81 ERA in 2013, helping bring Boston its third World Series championship in a decade. Either by coincidence or fate, his introductory press conference is scheduled for Nov. 2, the 10th anniversary of the World Series parade.

Championships, the Red Sox claim, are still their North Star, but they need pitching to make it happen. It’s Breslow’s area of expertise; Chicago’s pitching development was woefully inadequate earlier in the decade, they won their long-awaited 2016 championship with a starting rotation full of acquired arms, not unlike a certain Boston baseball team’s most recent victory.

Finding someone to head up baseball operations wasn’t exactly a walk in the ballpark. Expectations are higher in Boston, and the safety net is virtually nonexistent.

“This is the Boston Red Sox,” team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said during the end-of-season press conference. “If you want to run a baseball organization, this is where you want to be. You want to be in Boston. Why? Because it matters here more than anywhere else.”

Who understands that better than a lifelong New Englander who’s already brought a trophy to Boston? (Other New Englanders, including Phillies GM Sam Fuld and Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes, turned down the Red Sox’s interview offers, though.)

Intelligent and thoughtful, Breslow comes highly recommended by, well, everyone. It’s about as easy to find someone with a bad word to say about Breslow as it is to find a needle in a field full of haystacks. One member of the organization described him as the “most truly decent man.”

“The praise from fellow baseball executives was impressive,” Kennedy said in the press release. “But what truly distinguished him were the resounding character references from former teammates, including David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, David Ross, Brock Holt, and Kevin Youkilis.”

Game recognizes game. Winners recognize a winner.

The Red Sox announced Wednesday afternoon that Craig Breslow has been hired as chief baseball officer, handing the keys to the former left-handed pitcher who helped lead the club to a World Series championship in 2013.

Breslow will succeed Chaim Bloom, who was fired in mid-September after nearly four years on the job.

A 12-year big league veteran, Breslow has emerged as a rising star in the front office world, making a quick impression since joining the Chicago Cubs front office in 2019. Breslow has played an integral role in turning around the Cubs’ pitching development program, rising from director of strategic initiatives to his most recent role as assistant general manager/senior vice president of pitching.

The Red Sox hope he’ll be able to get similar results, both in terms of building the major league club back towards contention and ending the organization’s recent track record of frequent front office turnover.

In a statement announcing the hire, Red Sox owner John Henry acknowledged the organization’s recent struggles and their belief in Breslow to turn things around.

“Our organization continues to have significantly high standards and expectations with a goal of being able to compete annually for that coveted privilege. After the 2018 World Series, we sought to build a future that would avoid the ups and downs normally associated with winning. That plainly hasn’t happened,” Henry said. “Despite the results, over the past few years, substantial efforts have been made and considerable organizational progress has occurred behind the scenes, but not at the major league level. We feel strongly that Craig is the right person at the right time to lead our baseball department.”

Henry went on to praise Breslow’s “remarkable” understanding of the game and that what set him apart was his highly strategic philosophy and his grasp of what it takes to excel in today’s game. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner also praised his baseball expertise, and Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said Breslow came with strong recommendations from respected members of the Red Sox family.

“Craig was a standout candidate,” Kennedy said. “The praise from fellow baseball executives was impressive, but what truly distinguished him were the resounding character references from former teammates, including David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, David Ross, Brock Holt, and Kevin Youkilis. Craig knows what it takes to be successful in Boston and he’s up for the challenge.”

How Craig Breslow became a top candidate for Red Sox GM job

A Yale graduate, Breslow's professional baseball journey began in 2002 when he was drafted in the 26th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Breslow broke into the majors in 2005 with the San Diego Padres and wound up posting a 3.45 ERA while appearing in 576 games for seven teams, including five seasons with the Red Sox in 2006 and between 2012-15.

His best season came with the Red Sox in 2013, when he posted a 1.81 ERA in 61 appearances while serving as one of the club's top relievers throughout the playoffs.

“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the Boston Red Sox, an organization that means so much to my family and to me,” Breslow said. “I am humbled by the opportunity to lead baseball operations and to work alongside so many talented people. I’d like to thank John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Sam Kennedy for entrusting me with executing the vision we share for this organization. I know firsthand how special winning in Boston is, and I look forward to once again experiencing that passion and success with our fans.”

“I’d also like to thank Tom Ricketts, Crane Kenney, Jed Hoyer, Carter Hawkins, and the Chicago Cubs for giving me my first opportunity in a Major League front office,” Breslow added.

Breslow is the fourth former Red Sox player to lead the club's baseball operations department and the first since Haywood Sullivan between 1978-83. In addition to his front office credentials, Breslow earned a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale and was named "Smartest Man in Baseball" by the Wall Street Journal in 2009.

Originally from Connecticut, Breslow lives in Newton and worked locally throughout his tenure with the Cubs. Now he has a chance to stay home and help lead his old club back to the promised land.

A source echoed Alex Speier’s and Michael Silverman’s report in the Boston Globe on Tuesday evening: the club offered Craig Breslow the job as head of baseball operations and he accepted.

Breslow had two stints with the Red Sox during his 11-year Major League career. He was instrumental to the 2013 championship, anchoring the bullpen with a career-best 1.81 ERA over 61 regular-season appearances. He made 10 relief appearances during that year’s postseason, including nine scoreless outings (eight consecutively).

In his post-playing career, the 43-year-old found a different way to impact a franchise’s pitching; as the Cubs’ assistant general manager and vice president of pitching, he’s transformed their farm system into a well-oiled arms development machine.

Breslow is widely respected in the baseball world. Sources within and outside of the Red Sox organization described him as brilliant and an “incredibly decent human being.” For the Red Sox, who seek new leadership but want much of their internal structure to stay the same, he seems to make the most sense. He and Alex Cora were teammates in Boston in 2006-07, and many of the other executives have been with the organization since before he signed his minor-league contract with the team on February 1, 2006.

His New England roots run deep, too. A New Haven, Conn. native, Breslow was a star pitcher at Yale (and the Bulldogs’ team captain) before embarking upon his professional career. Though employed by the Chicago Cubs since 2019, he lives in Newton, Mass. and often works remotely.

After firing Gabe Kapler with three games left in the regular season, Bob Melvin will leave San Diego for San Francisco. The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly broke the news on Tuesday afternoon, two days after the outlet reported the Padres had granted the Giants permission to interview Melvin, who had one year remaining on his contract.

Melvin, who turns 62 this week, only managed in San Diego for two seasons, but his departure isn’t exactly a surprise. Increasing tensions between him and general manager A.J. Preller made headlines throughout the 2023 season; that the Padres were willing to let a National League West rival interview and hire their manager indicates a manager-GM relationship eroded to the point of no return. Preller will now search for his seventh Padres manager in nine years.

It’s also a homecoming for the three-time Manager of the Year, who grew up in the Bay Area and managed the Oakland A’s from 2011-21. In 20 seasons as a Major League manager, Melvin has a 1,517-1,425 record, with eight trips to the postseason.

Melvin, who caught for the 1993 Red Sox during his 11-year playing career, wasn’t the only former Red Sox catcher interviewed for the Giants gig. The year Melvin played in Boston, the Minnesota Twins drafted a star catcher who opted to finish college and re-enter the draft in 1994. The Seattle Mariners made an identical selection in 1994, and in 1997, traded a young Jason Varitek to Boston.

Varitek has been on the managerial track for most of the last decade, with the Mariners interviewing him in 2015. The longtime Red Sox captain is a year into a three-year contract extension as a member of the coaching staff, but the club granted the Giants permission to speak with him, which they did by phone last Friday.

“He will manage in the big leagues,” Alex Cora told reporters in February 2021, after Varitek became a full-time member of the coaching staff. “I think, with time, somebody’s going to give him a chance and he’s going to kill it, he’s going to be great.”

According to multiple reports the Red Sox have narrowed their pool of targets and informed candidates whether or not they’ll move on to the second round of interviews. It is unknown how many candidates are still under consideration or if there will be additional rounds after the next one, but according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Chicago Cubs assistant general manager and former Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow is considered a frontrunner for the job.

If Breslow ends up landing the position, it will cap off a rapid ascent through the front office ranks since his retirement from baseball.

After 12 seasons pitching in the big leagues, including five with the Red Sox, Breslow joined the Cubs front office in 2019 and became deeply involved in the organization’s pitching development efforts. The 43-year-old Yale graduate was promoted to director of pitching and then to his current role as assistant GM/vice president of pitching, and under his leadership the Cubs have produced numerous homegrown arms who are already making an impact on the big league staff.

Breslow is also a Connecticut native who lives locally in Newton, and he still has close ties to the organization from his days as a player.

How Craig Breslow became a top candidate for Red Sox GM job

One candidate who reportedly won't advance in the process is Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine. Initially believed to be a top candidate, Levine was reportedly informed on Monday he is no longer being considered for the role. Levine has served as the No. 2 man in the Twins front office under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey since November of 2016 and has helped lead the club to four playoff berths in seven seasons.

Others known to have interviewed for the job include Red Sox assistant general managers Eddie Romero and Mike Groopman, Red Sox VP of amateur scouting and player development Paul Toboni, former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler and former Houston Astros GM James Click, who reportedly removed himself from consideration after interviewing.

The Red Sox have also faced a number of setbacks throughout their search process, with several targets reportedly turning down the chance to interview. That list reportedly includes Philadelphia Phillies GM Sam Fuld, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes, former Miami Marlins executives Michael Hill and Kim Ng, former Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels, Arizona Diamondbacks executives Mike Hazen and Amiel Sawdaye, Twins president Falvey and Red Sox assistant GM Raquel Ferreira.

Many of those would-be candidates reportedly cited family considerations as their reason for declining to pursue the role, though the frequent turnover among top Red Sox executives and the inability to hire their own manager and top lieutenants has been cited as a reason for concern as well.

The three-time All-Star won two World Series during his 10-year MLB career, but he’s always tried to be a team player.

“I’m not an attention guy,” he told the Herald. “I think most people know that I don’t seek it. Like, I do the (Red Sox) broadcast because I love baseball, but I don’t really crave the attention or all that stuff.”

But over the past two weeks, he’s stepped into the spotlight he never sought to support Israel and condemn anti-Semitism. On Oct. 7, terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel. They entered towns, Kibbutzim (egalitarian communes, often agriculture-focused), and a desert music festival near Gaza, the territory they’ve governed ever since 2006, assaulting and slaughtering over 1,300 civilians, mostly Israelis, but also citizens from over a dozen countries. Hamas also took over 200 hostages.

For the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War – the 50th anniversary marked just the day before – Israel declared an official state of war.

“(My) Initial response was pure anger and sadness,” Youkilis said. That day, he posted a photo of himself coaching Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, writing “I stand with Israel.”

Another text-only Instagram post stated, “Antisemitism is on display for the world to see. Many have had their eyes opened while others turn a blind eye because they don’t want to believe it. It goes against the ideological beliefs of their peers. I’ve never been more proud to be Jewish than now.

“Be proud and never let hate and evil make you hide your Jewish heritage.”

According to Baseball Reference, 23,115 men can say that they played at least one Major League game. Youkilis is in a much smaller subsection, the list of Jewish players only recently crossed the 200-player threshold, or approximately 0.86-percent of MLB’s all-time population. It’s only a slightly larger percentage than that of the global population; at just over 16 million, Jewish people currently account for just 0.2-percent of the world’s 8 billion people.

“I think it’s a special fraternity,” Youkilis said. But, he said, he also wanted hard work and results to be the reason people admired him as an athlete.

“I think people around me know how proud I am of my Judaism, my heritage, my people,” he said. “But I’ve never really handled being a public figure very well because I don’t see myself as any label… I just don’t want to be the central focal point of anything, I’d rather be a part of the group.”

On one occasion during his nine years with the Red Sox, he attended high holiday services at a local synagogue, and tried in vain to blend in. “Next thing you know, everyone’s coming up to me,” he chuckled, “I’m like, oh my God, I don’t think you’re allowed to do this on the High Holidays, you’re supposed to be praying!”

He credits his involvement with Team Israel for making him realize how meaningful representation is to Jewish people.

“Team Israel opened my eyes to that,” he explained. “It just never hit me until Team Israel how special that is. Sandy Koufax before us, and Hank Greenberg. Many of the Jewish baseball players that come through, there’s someone that a young Jewish ballplayer is connecting with currently and striving to become them some day.

“Just one of you being in the major leagues and having success is a huge deal, for not just the baseball players, but the whole Jewish population.”

Outside the group is another story. Many people have never met a Jewish person. Fewer still can relate to the unique experience of being born into a people that has been persecuted, forcibly converted, exiled, and massacred over and over throughout history.

“The hard part of our lives is trying to explain our heritage, explain our religion, the variations within the Jewish religion, to other people,” Youkilis said. “I’ve always stood for my heritage, for the people, my friends, family, the State of Israel, and that’s based on my ancestors, people before me that have died, were put in horrible situations, forced to move because of who they were.”

In 1941, British prime minister Winston Churchill described the ongoing catastrophe that would later be known as the Holocaust as, “A crime without a name.” It would be none other than a Jewish person who gave it one. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer, who’d fled Nazi-occupied Poland that same year, also sought to find a word that described the atrocities committed against his fellow Jewish people and by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians during the first World War. Finding none that sufficiently conveyed the horror, he combined the Greek “genos” (race or tribe) and Latin suffix “cide” (killing) in 1944, and defined it as “the destruction of a nation or an ethnic group.”

Oct. 7, 2023 is the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust. In the subsequent weeks, antisemitic incidents and attacks have increased exponentially. Great Britain reported more than a 1,350-percent increase. Last week, homes in Germany were marked with the Star of David to identify Jewish inhabitants. A Berlin synagogue was firebombed, and one in Tunisia burnt to the ground. Across the United States, synagogues are crowd-funding to raise money for additional security. There’s been a shocking amount of Holocaust denial at protests and rallies worldwide, as well as use of Nazi swastikas and pro-Hitler sentiments and slogans voiced and displayed on signage.

“We’re a minority,” Youkilis said, “And I’m just very confused. People say they are for the minorities and fight for minorities, but then they are so anti-Jewish.”

“It’s evil versus good, and I think the hardship is, people don’t see it as that,” he added. “A lot of people say something is simple when it’s actually really complex, and then people use, ‘It’s really complex’ when something’s very simple. When this happened, I felt it was very simple, that this is an atrocity, but people like to say it’s complex, and it’s wrong.”

Many Jews feel helpless, trying in vain to get the world to care.

“We are 0.2-percent of the entire population,” Youkilis said, when asked what message he’d want to send to non-Jews around the globe. “Jewish people aren’t trying to run the world, they’re just trying to keep their family and heritage alive.

“And I think to the Jewish people, it’s that we need to be united. Be there for each other, protect each other mentally and physically. Figure out, mentally, how to get through the day and physically, how to keep yourself protected and out of harm’s way.”

Youkilis and close friends from the fraternity put out a request to fellow active and former Jewish Major Leaguers: help us humanize this.

Last week, they posted the video to Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kevin E Youkilis (@kevinyoukilis_ggoh)

“My name is,” Alex Bregman, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Garrett Stubbs, Ty Kelly, Brad Ausmus, Shawn Green, and several others each stated their names, their homemade videos spliced together, “And I am a Jew.” Together, one of baseball’s smallest minorities asked fans to stand up for one of the world’s smallest minorities, to be against anti-Semitism and support Israel.

“What I’ve learned was, my voice is actually bigger than I would ever think my voice would be within the Jewish baseball community,” Youkilis said. He knows it won’t fix everything, but silence won’t fix anything.

“I’ve never really been very vocal, but I felt this was the time to be very vocal.”

But once the Fall Classic ends, the baseball world will quickly shift into offseason mode, and for the Red Sox these coming months could chart the franchise’s course for years to come.

When can fans expect to see players start switching teams? How about other big decisions and deadlines that loom once the offseason officially begins? Here’s a quick primer on the offseason schedule and how things should play out this winter.

When does free agency begin?

Free agency and the trade market officially opens the day after the World Series ends, but free agents cannot sign with new teams until five days afterwards. During that five-day stretch clubs have exclusive rights to sign their own players, which for Boston will include James Paxton and Adam Duvall, along with likely Justin Turner, Corey Kluber and Joely Rodriguez, who have options that aren’t expected to be exercised.

Option decisions must also be made within five days of the end of the World Series. Turner has a $13.4 million player option with a $6.7 million buyout, Kluber has an $11 million club option and Rodriguez a $4.25 million club option.

If clubs wish to extend a qualifying offer to any of their free agents, they must also do so within the five-day window. The qualifying offer is a one-year offer worth the mean salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players, which for this season will be set at $20.5 million. Players who receive a qualifying offer will have until Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. to accept, and if they reject the offer and wind up signing with a different team, their original team will receive draft pick compensation.

Last year the Red Sox extended qualifying offers to Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi, both of whom rejected and went on to sign elsewhere. This year the Red Sox don’t have any obvious qualifying offer candidates.

Salary arbitration?

Throughout the offseason players who have three or more years but less than six years of big league service time, along with a small group of players with between two and three years, are eligible for salary arbitration if they haven’t already agreed to a long-term contract extension with their club.

The Red Sox currently have five arbitration-eligible players: Alex Verdugo, Nick Pivetta, Reese McGuire, John Schreiber and Luis Urias.

If arbitration-eligible players and their clubs haven’t agreed to a contract by Jan. 12, they will submit salary figures for the upcoming season and an arbitration hearing will be held between Jan. 20 and Feb. 16 to determine the player’s salary. The panel of arbitrators will then select either the player’s figure or the club’s, and nothing in between.

Clubs can decline to tender a player on their 40-man roster under team control a contract for the upcoming season. Those players are “non-tendered” and become free agents, and the deadline to tender player contracts this offseason is Nov. 17.

Winter Meetings and more

In addition to qualifying offer decisions, Nov. 14 is also the deadline for clubs to protect eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. The Rule 5 Draft is held annually and allows clubs to identify and offer a big league opportunity to prospects they believe have been held back elsewhere.

The idea behind the Rule 5 Draft is to keep teams from hoarding MLB-ready players in the minors, and the Red Sox acquired right-hander Garrett Whitlock in the Rule 5 Draft three years ago.

This year’s Rule 5 Draft will take place on Dec. 6 during the MLB Winter Meetings, which will take place in Nashville between Dec. 4-7. Candidates to be added to the Red Sox 40-man roster this year include pitching prospects Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Perales and Shane Drohan.

The MLB Draft Lottery will also occur at the Winter Meetings on Dec. 5, and by finishing with the 12th-worst record in baseball the Red Sox have a 1.1% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 9.9% chance of moving into the top six. The more probable outcome is Boston picks at No. 12 overall, though they could also pick later if clubs behind them jump into the lottery.

Before the Winter Meetings, MLB’s top executives will also gather at the GM Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, from Nov. 7-9. At the moment the Red Sox are still without a head of baseball operations and the club has indicated the GM Meetings won’t be a deadline to make a hire if they believe they need more time to bring in the right person.

Assuming this is his last hurrah in his native country, Yamamoto is certainly finishing his run in Japan on a high note.

The Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto’s current and Yoshida’s former Nippon Professional Baseball club, are back in the Japan Series for the third straight year. The Buffaloes fell short in 2021 before winning their first championship since 1996 last fall, and now Orix is looking to repeat as NPB champion for the first time since winning three straight titles from 1975-77.

At the heart of Orix’s success has been Yamamoto, who is the two-time defending Pacific League MVP and Sawamura Award winner, Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young. Yamamoto will likely win both for the third straight year after once again winning the Japanese Triple Crown, leading the league in wins (16), ERA (1.21) and strikeouts (169) over 164 innings. He also threw his second career no-hitter in September.

Yamamoto wasn’t particularly sharp in Game 1 of the Pacific League finals, allowing five runs on 10 hits and two walks over seven innings, but he also struck out nine and did enough to help Orix get the 8-5 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Orix went on to win the series 3-1 and will face the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Series. Yamamoto will presumably get the ball in Game 1, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28.

Around the turn of the 21st century, the Red Sox landed Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez, two of the best players of their era, and nearly Alex Rodriguez. They acquired Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and more recently Chris Sale, and there’s a whole laundry list of stars the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and lately the New York Mets have brought in over the years.

Now, the idea Boston could go out and land a real big fish feels more farfetched. It’s not that the club doesn’t have the resources, it’s that ever since Mookie Betts got away the prevailing sense has been the Red Sox aren’t willing to go the extra mile it takes to bring in a superstar.

Maybe that will change when the new head of baseball operations comes aboard, but if the Red Sox wanted to shake up the narrative and put the rest of the league on notice, there’s one player in particular who looms as an obvious target.

Juan Soto could potentially go down as one of the greatest players in baseball history. He made his MLB debut as a 19-year-old in May 2018, and in six big league seasons since Soto’s already become a three-time All-Star, won a batting title and helped lead the Washington Nationals to the 2019 World Series championship. He also has the best combination of power and plate discipline the league has seen since Barry Bonds, and on top of that he was one of just four players who played in all 162 games this past season.

Soto, who is about to turn 25, is also set to hit free agency after this coming season, and it’s widely expected he’ll land one of the largest contracts in MLB history. He’s already turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from Washington, just to put things in perspective.

Given how the San Diego Padres flopped after going all-in this past season, and given how they’ve already invested nearly $1 billion in Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts over the next decade, it’s reasonable to imagine the Padres could trade Soto and replenish the farm system they stripped to get him in the first place. San Diego paid a king’s ransom when they landed the outfielder ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, but now only a year from free agency his price should be much lower.

Could the Red Sox make a deal? Some within the industry believe it’s possible.

Earlier this week Jim Bowden of The Athletic identified the Red Sox as a team to watch in a potential Soto Sweepstakes, suggesting Boston could land the talented outfielder with a package that includes big leaguers Alex Verdugo and Tanner Houck along with prospects Miguel Bleis and Luis Perales.

Bowden argued that Verdugo, who like Soto is set to hit free agency after this coming season, would immediately slot into San Diego’s starting lineup and Houck would join the starting rotation. Houck brings the added benefit of having four years of team control remaining, and the two prospects are each among the top 10 in Boston’s system, according to MLB Pipeline.

Bleis in particular is highly tantalizing. The 19-year-old outfielder is considered a potential five-tool superstar and would be the main prize for San Diego in this deal, but he also just missed almost the entire season to a shoulder injury and has only ever played 31 games at Single-A. Perales is a well regarded right-hander with a fastball topping out at 99 mph and is considered a future mid-rotation starter or a closer.

Would the Padres bite on a package like this? And should the Red Sox pull the trigger if they do?

My gut reaction was it’s hard to imagine the Padres actually accepting this deal and the Red Sox would be crazy not to do it. Verdugo likely has no future with the Red Sox and Houck is the type of pitcher it might be prudent to sell high on if the right deal came along.

Still, a deal like this carries a lot of risk. There’s no guarantee Soto will agree to a contract extension, and with Scott Boras as his agent there’s a good bet he’ll hit the open ma

rket, where the Red Sox would have to fend off offers from all the other big clubs. Losing two top prospects for only one season of Soto would be tough, especially if Bleis blossoms into the type of superstar some evaluators believe he could become. You could make the case it would be more prudent to wait until next winter, when all Soto will cost is money.

Soto is also admittedly a poor defender and would have to play left field in Boston, essentially rendering Masataka Yoshida a full-time designated hitter. He also wouldn’t help balance the lineup, which already leans heavily left-handed.

Even taking all of that into account, if the opportunity to trade for Soto is there, the Red Sox should still do it.

This is a generational talent we’re talking about, and if you have a chance to bring that kind of player into your organization, you can’t pass it up. Even if the prospects reach their full potential, they probably won’t become as good as Soto is right now.

As for the concern about Soto’s long-term future, that’s a simple enough matter. Show him the money. Manny Machado was “definitely” going to hit free agency until the Padres blew him away last offseason and next thing you know he was locked up for another decade.

And the roster-construction concerns? That should all be secondary. You build your team around the best players, not the other way around. If a couple additional trades are necessary to make the pieces fit a little better, so be it.

The bottom line is the Red Sox shouldn’t be afraid to swing big, and even if a Soto deal doesn’t come to pass, the club needs to get back in the deep end of the market, just like in the old days.

The resources are there, all that’s missing is the will, and if the club wanted to make a statement and let everyone know the Boston Red Sox are back then it’s hard to imagine a better way to do it than by reeling in the biggest fish in the pond.

Altuve does it again

Say what you will about Jose Altuve, but when the chips are down the man always seems to come through.

The diminutive Houston Astros second baseman stood tall again on Friday night, powering the go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead. Houston closer Ryan Pressly shut the door and after at one point trailing 2-0 in the series, the Astros now go home to Houston with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to clinch the club’s fifth American League pennant in seven years.

At the heart of that success has been Altuve, who has continued to perform even after reputation was sullied by his connection to the Astros 2017 sign-stealing scandal. To this day Altuve is loudly booed at almost every opposing stadium he visits, but to whatever extent he may have gained an advantage in 2017, he’s remained a postseason monster ever since.

Altuve has now played 101 playoff games in his career, and over that stretch he’s hit 26 career postseason home runs, which ranks second in MLB history behind only Manny Ramirez (29). He also ranks top five all-time in playoff runs scored (86, 2nd), at-bats (419, 3rd), hits (113, 4th), total bases (211, 4th) and doubles (20, 5th).

His evolution into an October masher is particularly impressive given that Altuve hardly started his career as a power threat. Over the first five years of his career Altuve hit a combined 36 home runs over 2,721 at bats, averaging a home run every 75.5 ABs. But since 2016 he’s topped 20 home runs in a season five times and 30 homers twice, a stretch that more or less aligns with Houston’s transformation from a doormat to a dynasty.

Now he has the Astros on the doorstep of the Fall Classic again.

Leyland, Piniella on ballot

The Baseball Hall of Fame just announced this year’s candidates for the Contemporary Era Committee’s Managers, Executives and Umpires ballot, which will see eight of the most accomplished decision-makers of the past 40 years up for election to Cooperstown.

This year’s Era Committee candidates are managers Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Jim Leyland and Lou Piniella, executives Hank Peters and Bill White, and umpires Ed Montague and Joe West.

Though none of the four managers ever led the Red Sox, each served as prominent opponents throughout their careers. Piniella was a longtime New York Yankees player who spent time managing both the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, Johnson led the New York Mets to their 1986 World Series victory over the Red Sox, Gaston spent 12 seasons as Toronto Blue Jays manager and led the club to two World Series titles, and in addition to winning the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins, Leyland managed the Detroit Tigers during the epic 2013 ALCS against Boston.

In order to earn induction, candidates must appear on 75% of the ballots cast by the 16-member committee, which would translate to 12 votes assuming everyone casts a ballot. The committee will meet at the Winter Meetings in Nashville on Dec. 3 and the result of the vote will be announced that night on MLB Network.

Troye bounces back

Red Sox pitching prospect Christopher Troye had a terrific season, posting a 3.10 ERA with 87 strikeouts over 38 appearances split between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, but his stint in the Arizona Fall League got off to a rocky start.

Last Wednesday Troye got crushed, allowing five runs on four hits, two walks and a two-run home run without recording an out in the Glendale Desert Dogs’ 16-1 loss to the Surprise Saguaros. The outing raised his ERA to 18.00 in the AFL, meaning no matter how well he pitched afterwards it was pretty much a guarantee his fall numbers won’t look great.

To his credit, Troye bounced back about as well as a pitcher possibly can. In his subsequent two outings Glendale used Troye as its closer, and he responded by locking down consecutive saves with scoreless ninth innings, including in Thursday’s 10-9 win over the Salt River Rafters. Even though his ERA is still over 10, that kind of resilience will make a strong impression on his coaches in the Red Sox system.

Among Boston’s other prospects playing in Arizona, outfielder Corey Rosier has gotten off to a strong start and entered the weekend batting .333 with a .836 OPS and five stolen bases through 13 games. Left-hander Zach Penrod has posted a 1.13 ERA in his first two starts (8 innings) and righty Wyatt Olds a 3.00 ERA through four relief appearances.

In part because, apparently, they have to.

There’s a bevy of options, but the talk-to-strikeout ratio isn’t balanced in Boston’s favor. With Kim Ng officially taking herself out of the running, the list of “No’s” balloons to at least 10. (That’s not including former GM Theo Epstein, either.)

While Mike Hazen and Amiel Sawdaye received extensions from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and former Astros GM James Click dropped out after his interview, Ng and the other six known candidates turned down the Red Sox in the interview invitation stage.

In the hours following their firing of Chaim Bloom on Sept. 14, team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said he anticipated “a broader search” this time around.

“One that, frankly, could take a while,” he cautioned.

But did the brass expect this level of disinterest? Red Sox assistant GM Raquel Ferreira is one of several executives who cited family reasons when turning down the club’s invitation, but other internal options are among at least seven candidates currently in consideration. Assistant general managers Eddie Romero and Michael Groopman, and VP of amateur scouting and player development, Paul Toboni, are in the mix, along with current Minnesota Twins GM Thad Levine and former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington.

Likewise for two of Boston’s World Series champions.

Craig Breslow, who pitched for Boston in 2006 and 2012-15, is considered a top candidate. He’s currently a Chicago Cubs assistant GM and vice president of pitching, and he’s transformed their minor league pitching development, an area in which the Red Sox could certainly use some help. Nicknamed “the smartest man in baseball,” he majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry while leading the Ivy League with a 2.56 ERA his senior year at Yale.

Breslow, who lives in Newton and often works for the Cubs remotely, is a natural fit for the Red Sox in many ways. The surprising, controversial name that popped up late this week is Gabe Kapler, who brings a diverse resumé with a few suboptimal highlights to the table.

Kapler, who played for the Red Sox from 2003-06, has leadership experience at both field and front office levels. He’s spent the last six seasons managing the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-19) and San Francisco Giants, who fired him during the last week of the season, but his first professional managing gig was with the Red Sox.

When he retired for the first time in December 2006, he managed their Single-A affiliate Greenville Drive for the 2007 season. He un-retired and spent the 2008 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, and the following two with the Tampa Bay Rays, then he retired for good in 2011 when the Los Angeles Dodgers released him at the end of spring training.

Over the last decade and change, Kapler has done everything from coach Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic to working as a television analyst for FOX Sports and writing for Baseball Prospectus.

But during and after Kapler served as the Dodgers’ director of player development from 2014-17, his tenure was marked by accusations – including from Nick Francona, Terry Francona’s son and former assistant director of player development, reporting directly to Kapler  – that he mishandled assault allegations. In February 2015, a 17-year-old girl first accused two Dodgers prospects and two older women of domestic violence in a third Dodgers player’s hotel room near the team’s spring training complex in Arizona.

A week later, the girl told police she had also been sexually assaulted by one of the players, something Kapler maintains he was never made aware of. In lieu of traditional punishment, Kapler required (the players) to undergo training for “being a good teammate,” reported Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim in 2019. “Specifically, the players were assigned to write essays about Dodgers history, take nature walks, practice yoga and meditation, clean the team’s weight room and watch motivational videos.”

The club later released the player, but he was never charged. (Alex Verdugo was among those present at the first incident, but cleared of wrongdoing.)

Less than a year later, another Dodgers minor leaguer was accused of sexual assault at the same Arizona hotel. Once again, the player was released. The following spring, several Dodgers players, including a top prospect, were caught on surveillance tapes harassing female guests at the same hotel.

Throughout, Kapler reported up the chain of command, something confirmed by the league’s investigation and the Giants’ additional vetting before hiring him. But Major League Baseball only became aware of these incidents when law enforcement informed them in April 2017. The league investigated Kapler, and by the following month, had quietly cleared him of wrongdoing.

In general, Kapler is a curious candidate to captain Boston’s baseball operations. He’s gained a plethora of experience in his post-playing years, but little success to date, and it’s been over half a decade since he worked on the baseball operations side. With the Dodgers, he was known for a unique leadership style, “instituting no rules, but rather expectations,” wrote Wertheim.

Would that work for the Red Sox?

The former Red Sox pitcher and current Chicago Cubs assistant general manager and senior vice president of pitching is reportedly among a handful of candidates known to have interviewed for the job, and on Wednesday night Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported Breslow is in advanced discussions to join Boston’s front office.

Whether those discussions ultimately bear fruit remains to be seen, and it’s not clear if Breslow would immediately ascend to the top job or slot in as the No. 2 under a new president of baseball operations. Either way, the 43-year-old Breslow appears to have a real shot.

That might seem surprising for some, especially fans who feel like Breslow was pitching out of the Red Sox bullpen just yesterday, but the lefty has always been regarded as one of the most intelligent people in the game. Once he made the jump to the front office ranks he quickly established himself as a rising star, and whether it’s in Boston, Chicago or someplace else it’s clear he has a bright future.

Rave reviews

Breslow pitched for 12 seasons in the big leagues as a left-handed reliever between 2005-17, including five with the Red Sox. His best season came in 2013, when he was a key member of Boston’s World Series championship squad and posted a 1.81 ERA over 59.2 innings and 61 appearances.

Following his retirement, Breslow was recruited by Theo Epstein to join the Cubs front office, and since 2019 he’s become deeply involved in the organization’s efforts to overhaul its pitching development program. He was elevated to director of pitching and later to his current assistant GM role, and where the Cubs previously struggled to develop homegrown arms Breslow’s efforts have produced a wave of talented pitchers who are already making an impact in the majors.

Look no further than the strides made this year by Cy Young contender Justin Steele and by 2021 first-round pick Jordan Wicks. For an organization like Boston that has struggled to consistently develop high-end pitching talent, Breslow’s track record has obvious appeal.

Right place, right time

One common refrain we’ve heard throughout the search process is that potential targets have declined to pursue the Red Sox job due to family considerations.

In Breslow’s case, the family element might actually work in Boston’s favor.

Originally from Connecticut, Breslow has deep ties to New England and still lives a short drive from Fenway Park. The Yale graduate has often worked remotely from his home in Newton since joining the Cubs front office, so while many candidates have balked at uprooting their families to come to Boston, Breslow’s circumstances would make the role uniquely appealing.

Breslow also has familiarity with most of the front office dating back to his playing days and presumably a good understanding of how the organization functions. If Breslow is hired, that familiarity could help him hit the ground running and implement the changes he feels will help the Red Sox unlock their potential.

Worth the risk?

The downside to Breslow’s candidacy is even compared to many other recently retired players who have successfully transitioned to the front office world, he is very inexperienced. Breslow is not the Cubs’ top decision-maker or even their No. 2 man, and so far he’s thrived in a comparatively narrow role with fewer responsibilities related to executing transactions, negotiating contracts and running a baseball operations department as a whole.

That being said, Breslow would inherit a well-established front office infrastructure, including executive vice president of baseball operations Brian O’Halloran, and the trio of assistant GMs Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira and Michael Groopman to help handle all of those things. Alternatively, the Red Sox could elevate Romero or hire another outside candidate as president of baseball operations and install Breslow as GM, which would still represent a big promotion from his current job in Chicago.

You also don’t have to look hard for proof someone with Breslow’s background can thrive in the big chair.

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young, also an Ivy League graduate and a recently retired MLB pitcher, was only 41 when he was hired in late 2020. Under his leadership, the Rangers have aggressively surrounded their homegrown core with high-end outside talent, and now Texas is back in the ALCS for the first time since 2011.

One area where Young has excelled, and where former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom often drew criticism, is the ability to keep his finger on the pulse of the clubhouse. The past couple summers Red Sox players often expressed frustration over the team’s relative inactivity at the trade deadline, which may have contributed to the club’s second half swoons.

Young, a former player, understood that waiting for the club to get healthy would send the wrong message and swung several big deals that helped keep the Rangers afloat. Breslow also understands those clubhouse dynamics, and having already won a World Series title here he might be better equipped than most to navigate life as Boston’s baseball boss.

If nothing else, Breslow’s already done enough to warrant serious consideration, now it will be fascinating to see if the Red Sox ultimately hand him the ball.

He’s also the only Red Sox player up for the prestigious defensive award this season.

Verdugo is up against Adolis García of the Rangers and Kyle Tucker of the Rangers, but has a strong case to take home the gold. He finished the season plus-1 in Outs Above Average (70th MLB percentile), behind García’s plus-3. His plus-9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) tied for the lead among AL right-fielders, as good as García (plus-7) and Tucker (plus-2) combined.

Statistically, this should come down to Verdugo and García. Though Tucker led the AL with 13,23.5 innings in right field, he was minus-4 OAA and only plus-2 DRS. Verdugo was in the 95th MLB percentile in Arm Strength, and his 10.6 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) outranked all AL right-fielders (minimum 140 innings) by a wide margin; García placed second with 6.4, but Tucker came in at minus-1.1.

Gold Gloves are awarded through a combination of manager and coach voting (they cannot vote for their own players or players in the other league), and the SABR Defensive Index (SDI), which accounts for approximately 25 percent of the finalist tabulations. The SDI is a combination of play-by-play records and batted ball location-based data. Defensive Regression Analysis (DRA) and Total Zone Rating (TZ) are included in the former. The latter, which is weighted 70 percent, takes DRS, UZR, and Runs Effectively Defended (RED) into account. Several position-specific defensive elements are also factored in.

The Red Sox struggled defensively across the board this season, especially in the infield. As of the last published SDI rankings on Aug. 13 (final rankings come out after Gold Glove winners are announced in November), Rafael Devers’ minus-4.6 SDI put him at the bottom of the AL third-base rankings. Triston Casas’ identical mark was third-worst among AL first basemen. Devers finished the season with 19 errors, tied with Javier Báez for most in the AL; Kiké Hernández made 15 errors (14 at shortstop) before the Red Sox traded him to the Dodgers before the deadline.

Verdugo, however, had a 7.0 SDI at that point in the season, which ranked second to García (7.8) among AL right-fielders, eighth overall.

The only potential snub is Connor Wong, who led AL catchers with 11 errors, but was also a strong defender by several metrics. He wouldn’t beat out Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (plus-17 DRS) for the award, but provided solid coverage behind the dish. Wong’s 2.3 SDI ranked fourth-best among AL catchers and he finished the season plus-4 DRS, tied for fifth, well ahead of finalist Adley Rutschman (0.6 SDI, plus-2 DRS). His plus-5 Catcher’s Caught Stealing Above Average put him in the 92nd MLB percentile and tied finalist Jonah Heim, among others, for the second-best mark in the AL.

On the whole, however, revisiting the team’s defensive skill (or lack thereof) is moot; most Red Sox players didn’t even play enough to qualify for the award, which is an indictment unto itself. Per Gold Glove requirements, players must reach the following totals through their team’s 138th game of the season: a minimum of 138 innings pitched, at least 50 percent of games caught, or at least 698 innings fielded at one’s primary position. (Rawlings also added a Utility Gold Glove to each league last year.)

Trevor Story led the team with plus-8 OAA – the only mark better than Verdugo – but his January elbow surgery kept him off the field until Aug. 8, the team’s 113th game of the season. Nick Pivetta and Brayan Bello were the only two pitchers to clear 138 innings by the end of the season, let alone Game 138. Bello, who actually started that contest, finished the night exactly one frame shy of the requisite 138 innings pitched.

How fitting for an indefensible Red Sox season.

Like the team overall, the outfield was a mixed bag. Unlike the roster as a whole however, which is a giant question mark heading into the offseason, the outfield is set up for success for several seasons to come.

After making a bold declaration at spring training, Alex Verdugo followed through with a strong defensive campaign. He led the Red Sox with plus-9 Defensive Runs Saved, and ranked in the 95th MLB percentile in arm strength. His plus-1 Outs Above Average tied for sixth among Major League right fielders, an improvement over minus-1 OAA in two seasons prior.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old still struggled to maintain consistency at the plate. There was a slight increase in power – he matched his career-high 13 home runs – and his walk rate jumped to 7.5 percent, up from 6.5-percent in 2022. However, his batting average and on-base percentage dropped while his strikeout rate climbed to 15.5 percent, a full 2.1 percent increase over last season, and he struck out seven more times in 10 fewer games. Though he was still in the 88th MLB percentile in K%, it can’t be described as an improvement.

Verdugo hit .290 with an .817 OPS in the first half of the season (83 games). That, coupled with a remaining year of club control, made him a prime trade candidate at the deadline. Teams were interested, and the Red Sox signaled that they were open to hearing offers, even discussing a swap with the Yankees. Ultimately, they hung onto him and watched as he hit just .225 with a .635 OPS in his remaining 59 games.

Though his trade value is lower, Red Sox may end up trading Verdugo this offseason; there’s been no indication he’ll get the extension he approached them about last February. He’ll be a free agent next fall, and they have enough club-controlled talent to go on without him. Alex Cora also benched him multiple times throughout the season for various reasons, including for lack of hustle and arriving several hours late, which may turn interested teams away.

Meanwhile, Masataka Yoshida’s “rookie” year was one of adjustments, but he handled the jump from Nippon to the Majors fairly well. He hit .289 with a .338 on-base percentage, collecting 155 hits, 33 doubles, three triples and 15 home runs in 140 games. He scored 71 times, drove in 72, and stole eight bases.

Where he struggled was plate discipline. Known for walking (427) more than he struck out (307) in the NPB, Yoshida only drew 34 walks to 81 strikeouts. That may not be good enough by his own standards, but it still put him in the 93rd MLB percentile in K%.

Yoshida didn’t exactly excel defensively, though he was known as a bat-first player before the Red Sox signed him. He was worth minus-9 OAA, minus-4 DRS, and ranked in the 52nd MLB percentile in arm strength. Learning the complexities of the Green Monster will be an ongoing process.

Managing the unfamiliar 162-game workload and frequent travel was a key issue for Yoshida, who wasn’t accustomed to jet lag; the entire NPB shares the same time zone, with no team farther away than a three and a half hour flight. As summer turned into fall, it became clear he was losing steam. Over 70 games between May 1 and July 31, he hit .313/.364/.487. From Aug. 1 on, his numbers dropped significantly, only slashing .257/.276/.371 over his final 47 games.

Adam Duvall, in Boston on a one-year deal, got off to a scorching start that came to a screeching halt in the form of a broken wrist eight games in. He returned exactly two months later, and still managed to play 92 games and hit 21 home runs. He was a strong addition to the clubhouse, and though they may not need to sign another outfielder for next year, his veteran presence was valuable to a young department.

In Duvall’s absence, Jarren Duran made the most of a bad situation. His turnaround, after struggling through two partial, up-and-down seasons between the Majors and Triple-A, was one of the most uplifiting stories of the season. He’d debuted in 2021 and hit .219 with a .622 OPS over 91 career games between his first two seasons, struggling both offensively and defensively.

Duran didn’t make the Red Sox Opening Day roster, but quickly rose to the occasion when called up in mid-April. He hit .295 with a .828 OPS over 102 games, collecting 98 hits, 34 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 46 runs, and 40 RBI. He led the roster with 24 stolen bases, led qualified Boston batters in average, and his doubles tied Rafael Devers for second on the team (though Devers played 51 more games). According to Stathead, Duran is the ninth player in franchise history to collect as many as 34 doubles and 24 steals in a season but the first to reach those totals within 102 games.

Though his defense was about average – 55th percentile in OAA, 61st percentile in arm strength, he and Duvall were each worth minus-5 DRS – Duran compensated with fast footwork; his 29.5 Sprint Speed ranked in the 96th percentile. Even though turf toe and surgery cut his campaign short, his was one of the most impressive turnarounds by a Red Sox player in recent history.

Rob Refsnyder’s overall offensive numbers took a dip in his second Red Sox season, but he continued to slay southpaws. He only hit .159 with a .466 against right-handed pitchers, but demolished lefties to the tune of a .308 average and .828 OPS, and he drew more walks than he struck out against them. The Red Sox have already bypassed his final year of arbitration by extending the versatile defender for $2 million in 2024 with a 2025 club option.

Towards the end of the summer, the Red Sox called up top outfield prospects Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela within a week of one another, and each made an impact. Cora raved about Abreu’s power in the early days of spring training, and the 24-year-old outfielder lived up to the hype, hitting .316 with a .862 OPS in 28 big-league games, collecting 24 hits, six doubles, and a pair of home runs.

The Red Sox saw Rafaela as a Major League-caliber defender long before they called him up on Aug. 28. He’s considered a future perennial Gold Glove center fielder. He can also play shortstop and second base, and spent time at all three positions. He was worth plus-2 OAA, the third-best mark on the roster. Abreu, known more for his bat, also had plus-1 OAA and plus-2 DRS.

Plate discipline has been the sticking point throughout Rafaela’s minor league career, but the 23-year-old Curaçao native managed 20 hits, six doubles, and two home runs in his 28 games. He and Abreu stole three bases, and were the first two Red Sox rookies to collect five or more doubles in their first 18 career games since Sam Travis in 2017.

The Red Sox enter the offseason with an outfield full of promising young talent, most of whom are under club control for many years to come. Meaning they can devote this offseason to bringing in some starting pitching.

That award is voted on by members of the media, but it appears Casas has made a strong impression on his fellow players as well.

Tuesday the MLB Players Association announced the finalists for this year’s Players Choice Awards, and Casas was among the three finalists for AL Outstanding Rookie along with Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Texas’ Josh Jung.

After getting off to a difficult start Casas emerged as one of the most impactful hitters in baseball, especially in the second half. The 23-year-old first baseman batted .263 with 24 home runs, 65 RBI, an .856 OPS, 21 doubles and 70 walks, and  in the second half he batted .317 with 15 home runs and a 1.034 OPS over his final 54 games.

In addition to Casas, former Red Sox great Mookie Betts was among the three finalists for Player of the Year along with Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz and Texas’ Corey Seager joined Ohtani for AL Outstanding Player, and New York’s Gerrit Cole, Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish and Minnesota’s Sonny Gray were the finalists for AL Outstanding Pitcher.

The Players Choice Awards are voted on by active MLB players and the winner will have a donation made out to a charity of their choice by the MLBPA.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine and former Houston Astros GM James Click are both candidates for the Red Sox position. Heyman reported that Levine is interviewing for the job, making him the second known candidate to interview after Red Sox assistant GM Eddie Romero, and Click is being considered as well.

Alex Speier of The Boston Globe also reported that Levine has interviewed, as have former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington and Chicago Cubs assistant GM and former Red Sox pitcher Craig Breslow.

Levine is the No. 2 man to president of baseball operations Derek Falvey in Minnesota and was previously a top candidate for the top Philadelphia Phillies job that ultimately went to Dave Dombrowski. He took his current role after the 2016 season and since then has helped lead the Twins to four playoff appearances. This year the Twins went 87-75 to win the AL Central, snapped an 18-game playoff losing streak and swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card round to win the franchise’s first playoff series since 2002.

Click left the Astros this past offseason after leading the franchise to its second World Series championship in large part due to disagreements with owner Jim Crane. During his three years in charge the Astros made the ALCS in three straight years, won two pennants and beat Philadelphia in six games to win last year’s title. Click spent this past season working as a vice president for the Blue Jays.

Huntington spent 12 years in Pittsburgh and played a big part in the organization’s successful rebuild that led to three straight playoff appearances between 2013-15, but Breslow might be the most interesting possibility.

Only 43 years old, Breslow pitched 12 seasons in the majors from 2005-17, including parts of six with the Red Sox, before joining the Cubs front office in 2019. Less than a year later he was promoted to director of pitching and in 2020 he given an assistant GM title as well. While his front office experience is limited, he’s undoubtably made his mark on the Cubs, who are now seeing a wave of impactful homegrown arms reach the majors.

Two widely speculated executives who won’t be coming to Boston are Phillies GM Sam Fuld and Los Angeles Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes. According to Chad Jennings of The Athletic, the two are among the potential candidates who have declined to interview for the job.

Others in a similar boat include Falvey, former Texas Rangers president Jon Daniels, who reportedly doesn’t want to uproot his family from their home in Texas, and former Miami Marlins president Michael Hill, who according to USA Today’s Bob Nightingale is reportedly happy in his current role as MLB’s vice president of baseball operations. It’s not yet known whether former Marlins GM Kim Ng, who unexpectedly parted ways with Miami on Monday, is a candidate for the Red Sox job.

The International Olympic Committee announced the approved additions, as well as cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash, in the early hours of October 16. Flag football and squash are newcomers to the international event, but it’s been over a century since cricket (1900 Paris Olympics) and lacrosse (1904 St. Louis, 1908 London) made the cut.

Baseball has occupied an inconsistent place in Olympic history. It technically made its debut at the 1904 event in St. Louis, but wasn’t played as a demonstration sport until the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. In that first contest, the United States bested Sweden – a team filled out by several Americans – 13-3 in a six-inning contest that inexplicably included the Swedes having a six-out sixth inning. Brief exhibition and modified games were featured at the Paris Summer Olympics in 1924, Berlin in ‘36, Helsinki in ‘52, ‘56 Melbourne, and ‘64 Tokyo before a tournament format was implemented for the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

Despite its long Olympic history, Baseball didn’t become an official medal sport until Barcelona 1992. The relationship between the Olympics and Major League Baseball only began in this century. Professional ballplayers weren’t admitted until 2000, and MLB wouldn’t allow members of the 40-man roster to participate in that year’s event, 2004, or 2008.

In 2005, the IOC voted to remove baseball and softball from the 2012 slate, something not seen since polo was removed in 1936. After a baseball-less Berlin Olympics in 2016, the sport returned to the 2020 games in Tokyo, which ended up taking place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It won’t be on the docket for the 2024 games in Paris, but Los Angeles isn’t too far off.

“The (World Baseball Softball Confederation) firmly believes that baseball and softball will help millions of fans engage with the Olympic Games,” said WBSC president Riccardo Fraccari in a statement on Monday. “Especially with (the United States) being home to many of the sports’ best players and biggest stars from across the world. It is going to be an electric atmosphere in L.A., where the best baseball and softball athletes in the world will have the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in front of a global audience of billions.”

In the past, several current and former Red Sox players have represented Team USA and other countries. Before they became teammates in Boston, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida faced off in Tokyo in 2021, with Yoshida’s Team Japan defeating Casas and Team USA to take home the gold. Zack Weiss, who briefly pitched for Boston this season, was a member of Team Israel in that year’s Olympics, playing alongside former Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway and infielders Danny Valencia and Ian Kinsler, who was a member of the 2018 championship team. Former Red Sox prospect Denyi Reyes was a member of bronze-winning Team Dominican Republic.

Former Red Sox World Series champions Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007) and Koji Uehara (2013) won the bronze medal with Team Japan in 2004. Doug Mientkiewicz was already a gold medalist when he arrived in Boston at the 2004 trade deadline and helped reverse the curse; as a minor leaguer, he’d played for Team USA at the 2000 games in Sydney. And long before that, two young college baseball stars, Georgia Tech teammates Jason Varitek and Nomar Garciaparra, were members of the fourth-place Team USA in Barcelona 1992.

Unfortunately, the Summer Olympics’ overlap with MLB’s intense 162-game schedule makes it difficult for teams to lose players. Instead, Boston sports fans can look forward to Paris 2024, which could feature several Celtics stars, including Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.

The Miami Marlins announced Monday morning that Kim Ng will not return as general manager, and principal owner Bruce Sherman said the decision to leave was her’s.

“Although the club exercised its team option for her to return for the 2024 season, Kim has declined her mutual option,” Sherman said in a statement. “We thank Kim for her contributions during her time with our organization and wish her and her family well.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that one of the factors in Ng’s departure was Miami’s intention to hire a president of baseball operations over her, relegating her to No. 2 in the Marlins front office. Though Ng didn’t specify a reason, she confirmed her departure in a statement to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic and indicated she felt her and ownership’s vision for the future of the Marlins weren’t in alignment.

“Last week, Bruce and I discussed his plan to reshape the Baseball Operations department. In our discussions, it became apparent that we were not completely aligned on what that should look like and I felt it best to step away. I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Marlins family and its fans for my time in South Florida,” Ng told The Athletic. “This year was a great step forward for the organization, and I will miss working with Skip and his coaches as well as all of the dedicated staff in baseball operations and throughout the front office. They are a very talented group and I wish them great success in the future.”

What this means for Red Sox?

The news of Ng’s departure immediately fueled speculation that she could be a candidate for the vacant Red Sox job. While it’s not known if she’s been in contact with the organization or is even interested in the position, she would immediately jump to the top of the list of most qualified individuals on the market.

Ng made history when she was hired in late 2020 as the first woman to lead an MLB club’s baseball operations department, and over the past three seasons the Marlins have steadily improved under her leadership. This year the Marlins finished 84-78 and reached the postseason for the first time in a full 162-game season since 2003.

Although Ng had limited financial flexibility leading the small-market Marlins, she’s shown a willingness to make bold moves. This past summer she acquired sluggers Jake Burger and Josh Bell, veteran reliever David Robertson and left-hander Ryan Weathers at the trade deadline, moves which collectively helped push the Marlins over the finish line in a razor tight NL Wild Card race.

Prior to her arrival in Miami, Ng served as MLB’s senior vice president for baseball operations from 2011 to 2020. Before that she worked as vice president and assistant GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001 to 2011 and in the New York Yankees front office from 1998 to 2001.

Notably, Ng was in Los Angeles the last four seasons Alex Cora spent with the Dodgers as a player from 2001-04. That past familiarity could prove beneficial if the two were to reunite in Boston.

Ng is widely respected within the game and now that she’s available will immediately become a highly sought after free agent executive. The Red Sox are currently the only MLB franchise other than Miami whose head of baseball operations role is vacant, and though the organization’s reputation has taken a hit thanks to its instability over the past decade, the Red Sox would offer Ng significantly greater resources and the opportunity to take over one of the sport’s most historic, successful franchises.

Monday’s development wasn’t all good news for Boston, however.

Where the Red Sox previously had the only opening in MLB, prospective candidates who might have had reservations about jumping to Boston now have another option. For all of its limitations, Miami does have a more talented big league roster and one of the best pitcher development programs in the sport, so an executive who’s worried about getting canned in four years by Fenway Sports Group whether they win a championship or not might feel the Marlins offer a better chance at long-term career success and stability.

Either way, Ng’s situation will warrant close monitoring as the Red Sox continue their search for new leadership.

Likewise for a team that collectively finishes last, especially when it’s the third time in four seasons; the parts may be great, but they’re obscured by their sum.

In a rebuild, a general manager-type leader’s true impact is often felt later. When the farm system Bloom replenished produces strong Major League talent in coming years, the Red Sox will benefit, but he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

For now, at least, give Bloom credit for the bullpen he made over.

After the ‘pen blew 29 saves (fourth-most in MLB) in 2022, the Red Sox made three significant changes. They signed Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen to two-year deals, and cut bait with Matt Barnes, designating him for assignment and trading him to the Miami Marlins for left-hander Richard Bleier.

It’s been a long time since the Red Sox had a one-two punch like Martin and Jansen for the eighth and ninth innings. Martin finished the season with a 1.05 ERA (434 ERA+) and 1.032 WHIP across 55 appearances, including 12 games finished and three saves. At the end of the season, he’d only given up six earned runs, two homers, eight walks, and had struck out 46 batters over 51 ⅓ innings. Two of those earned runs came within the first month of the season; between July 30 and season’s end, he didn’t allow a single run over his last 20 outings.

Not since Brandon Workman in 2019 had a Red Sox reliever posted a sub-2 ERA over at least 50 outings. Martin is only the 12th reliever in franchise history to put up such numbers, and he’s only outdone by Jonathan Papelbon, who posted a 0.92 ERA in 2006.

Martin, 37, was the ninth-oldest pitcher in the American League this season, but ranked alongside not only the best relievers, but the best starting pitchers in several metrics. His ERA outranked all pitchers (minimum 30 innings), and his 3.8 Win Probability Added (WPA) ranked fourth among AL arms. If teachers gave out A-plus-pluses, Martin would deserve an even better grade.

Despite some injuries, Jansen continued on his Hall of Fame trajectory. Early on, he converted his 400th career save, becoming the seventh player in MLB history to join that exclusive club. His 29 saves were eighth-most in the Majors this year.

Throughout the season, too, the Red Sox made improvements to the relief core. They claimed Brennan Bernardino off waivers from the Seattle Mariners, and designated Ryan Brasier for assignment and released him in mid-May. Ahead of the trade deadline, they acquired Mauricio Llovera from the San Francisco Giants, who didn’t have room for him on their roster.

Despite only 2 ⅓ career Major League innings under his belt when he arrived, Bernardino proved to be one of this season’s unsung heroes, a strong addition to the bullpen and clubhouse. The 31-year-old rookie did whatever was asked of him; his 55 outings (all with Boston) included six starts and eight games finished, and he ended the season with a 3.20 ERA.

Llovera was better than his 5.46 ERA suggests. A few rough outings, including giving up five earned runs to the Toronto Blue Jays in a 13-1 loss, marred what was a mostly solid 25-game stint with the team. Though opposing batters hit .265 against him, it was mostly weaker contact; lineups slugged only .364 against him, with six doubles and two home runs among the 32 hits he gave up.

The Red Sox also benefited from several long-relief options. Josh Winckowski, who debuted as a starter in 2022, spent the entire 2023 campaign in the bullpen, save for one start. He appeared in 60 games, finished eight, and converted three saves. His 2.88 ERA ranked second to Martin among the team’s qualified pitchers.

A struggling Nick Pivetta found himself bounced from the rotation early on, but fueled the demotion into a strong season, and ended the year as a starter once more. His 142 ⅔ innings ranked second on the pitching staff, a combination of 16 starts and 22 games in relief. Dominant relief performances aren’t exactly new for him, though. Remember the 2021 ALDS?

Kutter Crawford also moved back and forth between the rotation and bullpen; he and Pivetta finished the season with identical 4.04 ERAs. However, Crawford spent most of the season in the rotation. His 129 ⅓ innings ranked third on the roster, his 23 starts second only to Brayan Bello. Between the start of August and season’s end, he held opposing batters to a .210 average and .650 OPS. He finished the year on a high note, pitching at least 5 ⅓ innings in each of his last three starts.

While Bleier struggled and didn’t last the full season, the trade didn’t turn out well for Miami, either. Barnes posted a 5.28 ERA, the second-worst mark of his eight-year career, and only pitched 21 ⅓ innings, his lowest season total since his debut in 2014.

Brasier, however, got his revenge. After putting up a 7.29 ERA over 20 games in Boston, he landed in Los Angeles, and posted a 0.70 ERA across 39 outings in Dodger blue, including a scoreless inning at Fenway at the end of August. He, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Joe Kelly became NL West winners together, but the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks did sweep them in the first round of the postseason.

Even with a starting rotation that couldn’t stay healthy or pitch deep into games and an infield that couldn’t defend on even the most routine plays, this was a stronger bullpen than Boston has seen in a long time, with some historically good pitching. Collectively, they only blew 16 saves, the best mark in the Majors; in 2021 and 2018, their most recent postseason years, the bullpen blew 27 and 20 saves, respectively.

It was a welcome change to be able to watch later innings of close games without the usual sense of impending doom. If the Red Sox spend this offseason making serious upgrades to the starting rotation, they’ll put a very solid bullpen – and the team as a whole – in a position to succeed in 2024.

One quick hook can be forgiven, or even two, but three is a trend, and seeing that instability it’d be natural for any prospective candidate to wonder how much rope they’d get. But asked if he’s concerned quality candidates might shy away, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said at the year-end press conference he believes the job is among the best in baseball and people will jump at the opportunity to run the historic club.

“This is the Boston Red Sox. If you want to run a baseball organization, this is where you want to be, you want to be in Boston,” Kennedy said. “Why? Because it matters here more than anywhere else, so if you’re not up for that challenge, thanks but no thanks.”

As it turns out, “this is the Boston Red Sox” isn’t the compelling sales pitch it used to be. Now the Red Sox are apparently hearing “thanks but no thanks” from a number of their preferred targets.

Sources told the Herald this week that multiple candidates have turned down overtures from the Red Sox, corroborating previous reporting by MassLive’s Sean McAdam and others.

Several candidates have expressed unease over the level of turnover within the Red Sox front office, as well as the fact whoever gets the job will inherit manager Alex Cora and a well-entrenched front office leadership team rather than get the chance to bring in their own people.

A National League general manager bluntly told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo that “it’s not viewed as an attractive gig.”

That’s a tough look and perhaps a reality check for Red Sox ownership, but the position is still one of only 30 top jobs in MLB, and at the end of the day the club will find someone it’s excited to have take the wheel.

“We’re looking for someone who shares the organizational values that we’ve come to be known for in our time here and at the end of the day that’s understanding that the standards here are incredibly high and winning games at the major league level, putting yourself in position to be busy in October is the goal,” Kennedy said. “That said, we think you can also build a sustainable organization at the minor league level at the same time. It’s hard, it’s difficult, sometimes those two things are in conflict with each other, but we think the right leadership will emerge.”

So, who could that end up being?

According to multiple reports the Red Sox have already conducted a formal interview with at least one candidate — assistant general manager Eddie Romero. Romero has been with the Red Sox since 2006 and is viewed as the top internal candidate for the role, though others could be considered as well, with fellow assistant GMs Raquel Ferreira and Michael Groopman two of the logical options.

The Red Sox have not publicly revealed the identities of any external candidates, but McAdam reported one potential target is former Miami Marlins executive Michael Hill.

Hill currently serves as MLB’s Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, where he is in charge of umpires and on-field discipline, and before that he spent nearly two decades working in the Marlins front office. Hill took over as Marlins GM in 2007 and was promoted to president of baseball operations in 2013, serving in that role until being let go following the 2020 season.

He also played football and baseball at Harvard and spent three seasons in the minor leagues after being drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1993.

Hill’s teams weren’t particularly successful during his tenure, but he was also hamstrung by Miami’s limited financial resources and by the whims of former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, whose tenure was marked by frequent fire sales of the numerous talented players the organization developed.

Another name connected to Miami worth watching is current GM Kim Ng, who was hired to replace Hill and has led the Marlins for the past three seasons. Ng became the first woman in MLB history to run a baseball operations department upon her hire in 2020 and this fall she led the Marlins to their first playoff appearance in a full 162-game season since 2003. Her contract situation is murky, however, so it’s not clear what her future in Miami holds or if she’d be interested in a jump to Boston.

Not every candidate to pass up the Red Sox has done so out of concern over the role’s viability. Former Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, for instance, reportedly took himself out of consideration for family reasons. According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, Daniels was excited about the opportunity and believed the position checked a lot of boxes, but he didn’t want to uproot his wife and three children from their home in Texas.

As of now it’s unclear where many of the other popularly touted names stand on the Red Sox position. Philadelphia GM Sam Fuld, Los Angeles Dodgers executives Brandon Gomes and Josh Byrnes, and former Houston GM James Click are among those who stand out as obvious choices, but they could also be the ones opting to stay away.

Kennedy promised the search would be broad, deliberate and that the Red Sox would take their time to find the right person. They very well still can, but the way things look it might end up taking longer than the club would have preferred.

Orioles paid for lack of investment

The Baltimore Orioles had an amazing year. Two years removed from a 110-loss season, the young ball club took the league by storm, won 101 games and captured the franchise’s first AL East title since 2014.

Yet when October rolled around, Baltimore was bounced before its playoff run even began.

Last week the Orioles were swept out of the playoffs in decisive fashion by the Texas Rangers, who overwhelmed Baltimore’s starting pitchers and never gave the Orioles a chance. The beatdown laid bare how little the Orioles did to supplement their up-and-coming roster, specifically their failure to go out and get an ace.

This season the Orioles came into the year with a payroll of approximately $60 million, the second-lowest in MLB ahead of only the Oakland Athletics. They barely made a ripple in free agency, acquiring starters Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin and infielder Adam Frazier and not much else, and at the trade deadline their big addition was Jack Flaherty.

Gibson had a good but not great season and wound up coming out of the bullpen in Baltimore’s Game 3 loss. Flaherty didn’t make the Orioles playoff rotation either and Irvin wasn’t even on the ALDS roster. Would things have gone differently if Baltimore acquired a top starter? Maybe, but if nothing else it would’ve sent a clear signal that the Orioles are ready for primetime.

When the Chicago Cubs were at a similar point in their rebuild, they went out and signed Jon Lester. When Houston was ready to make the leap, they added Justin Verlander. Baltimore has a bright future ahead of it, but if you’re going to make any noise in October, you need an ace, and now the Orioles are sitting at home in part because their owner was too cheap to go get one.

Hazen rewarded on and off the field

Mike Hazen has endured a lot over the past few years. The Arizona Diamondbacks general manager has seen his team finish below .500 three straight years and in 2021 suffered through a 110-loss debacle. Through that same stretch Hazen also endured immense personal tragedy, losing his wife Nicole to brain cancer last year.

The former Red Sox executive is by all accounts a great guy and is widely respected within the game, and now he’s finally seeing his fortunes turn around.

Led by an emerging young core featuring Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2017 and swept both the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks are now headed to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2007, where they’ll face the Philadelphia Phillies in what promises to be an entertaining matchup.

No matter how this October’s playoff run ends, Hazen’s ensured the Diamondbacks will be set up to compete for years to come. For that, the Diamondbacks awarded Hazen with a new contract extension set that will keep him in Arizona through at least the 2028 season, if not longer.

Though Hazen was rumored as a potential candidate for the Red Sox head of baseball operations job — he previously served as Dave Dombrowski’s No. 2 man in Boston before leaving for Arizona in late 2016 — the longtime executive told reporters following his extension that he wasn’t interested in any other role and wanted to stay with the Diamondbacks.

Now he’ll have a chance to see his efforts to bring a second World Series championship to the desert through to the end.

Upsets all over

Baseball is a random sport, and it’s not unusual to see teams that dominate over a 162-game season trip up in the postseason and get bounced in a short series by a nominally inferior club.

Still, what we’ve seen unfold over the first two rounds has been nothing short of astounding.

Each of the five teams that finished with more than 90 wins have already been eliminated, with the World Series favorite Atlanta Braves becoming the latest wagon to have its wheels fall off in this week’s NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. All told the Braves, Orioles, Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers went a combined 1-13 in the playoffs, with four of the five getting swept in their opening series.

Does that mean this year’s eventual World Series champion will be in some way undeserving? Hardly. The defending champion Houston Astros are back in the ALCS for the seventh straight season, where they’re set to face an excellent Texas Rangers club, and the Phillies have a chance to win their second straight NL pennant when they face the upstart Diamondbacks in the NLCS.

We still have some great baseball to look forward to, even if the matchups might not have been the ones we were predicting two weeks ago.

But after firing their last three top baseball operations executives – Chaim Bloom, Dave Dombrowski, and Ben Cherington – during each one’s fourth season at the helm, the curtain has been pulled back, the illusion shattered.

The Red Sox are having a hard time finding someone to head up baseball ops, and they may be the only ones surprised.

Not only are people not jumping at the chance to run Boston’s storied baseball team, several external candidates have actually turned them down flat, sources tell the Herald. One likened it to a fishing rod loaded with bait fooling no one into biting.

This is a high-paying position, and in previous years, one of the most prestigious jobs in professional sports. Imagine someone turning the Red Sox down a decade ago.

Firing one top executive within four years is an isolated incident; three consecutively is a pattern. It’s due in large part to their ongoing identity crisis; are they still committed to winning?

The Red Sox will have to convince someone that they’re done vacillating between building to fill out the roster and building to win, but that’s only the first roadblock to filling the position. Besides the lack of job security, anyone looking to put their own stamp on this operation won’t be enthusiastic about the current state of affairs. Alex Cora is set to return next year, likewise for several top executives. Despite Sam Kennedy’s claims to the contrary at the end-of-season press conference, the job description reads like the Red Sox are seeking a figurehead, not a leader who can reshape and recalibrate one of the biggest franchises in professional sports.

The circumstances are vastly different than October 2019, when they hired Bloom to replace Dombrowski less than a year after he’d built a team that won a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins and third consecutive division title en route to their fourth championship in 15 years. The job came with different strings attached: Bloom inherited the worst-ranked farm system and Red Sox wanted him to cut payroll, so four months into the job, he became this century’s Harry Frazee, trading away Mookie Betts.

This time around, the Red Sox have plenty of roster, financial, and farm flexibility at their disposal, and a burgeoning young core of talent. It’s an offseason in which they could go out and make a statement, even one as enormous as signing Shohei Ohtani. In theory, whoever takes the reins will be in a similar situation to Dombrowski when he signed on in August 2015 and set about giving David Price the richest pitching contract in baseball history, giving up top prospects for Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale, and doing whatever it took to build a winner.

This may all be moot if the Red Sox promote from within. They’ve interviewed assistant general manager Eddie Romero, and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported that Romero won’t be the only internal candidate.

For now, what the Red Sox have going for them – a fruitful farm, young core, financial flexibility – doesn’t outweigh what’s missing: lack of vision, job security, actual control. Until they tackle those issues, they’ll be beggars, not choosers.

According to the league’s transaction wire, infielder Yu Chang has elected free agency after finishing this past season in Triple-A. In addition, right-handed pitcher Kaleb Ort has been claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners, the team announced Friday.

The Ort move was first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

Chang played 39 games for the Red Sox this past season, batting .162 with six home runs and 18 RBI. He missed nearly two months between late April and early July due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, but before and after that injury he served as a valuable presence defensively while Trevor Story worked his way back from elbow surgery.

Outside of some occasional flashes of power, Chang didn’t contribute much offensively and was ultimately designated for assignment once Story was ready to return. He finished the season with the WooSox, batting .313 over 12 games down the stretch.

Ort has pitched intermittently in the big leagues for the Red Sox since making his MLB debut in 2021. This past season the hard-throwing right-hander posted a 6.26 ERA in 21 appearances and spent the entire second half on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.

Overall Ort appeared in 47 games for the Red Sox and posted a 6.27 ERA over 51.2 innings.

Since the season ended, infielder Christian Arroyo, catcher Caleb Hamilton and right-hander Kyle Barraclough have all elected free agency as well. Those three, along with Chang, were all previously outrighted off the Red Sox 40-man roster and have either the requisite service time or the number of previous career outrights necessary to become a free agent.

Thanks to the MLB lockout freezing the 2022 offseason, Story didn’t even sign with Boston until right before Opening Day. As a result he got less than a week’s worth of spring training before making his debut, and it took almost six weeks before he started looking anything like his normal self.

Once Story got going things went well, until he was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken wrist that kept him sidelined for most of the second half. Then this past offseason long-held concerns over his throwing elbow were finally realized, and after returning in August it felt like he could never get comfortable at the plate.

Yet even a diminished Story made a tangible difference for the Red Sox down the stretch.

After the starting rotation’s inability to pitch deep into games, Boston’s poor infield defense was the biggest factor in the club’s last-place finish. Between Rafael Devers’ regression, Triston Casas’ inexperience and the complete and total collapse of the middle infield following Story’s elbow surgery and other injuries, Boston continuously shot itself in the foot and gave away game after game due to avoidable miscues on the diamond.

But once Story got back on the field the difference was night and day. Routine plays at shortstop were actually being made routinely, and even difficult plays were being converted with ease. Story seemingly made everyone around him better, and after a summer spent watching Kiké Hernández throw every ball hit his way into the stands, Red Sox fans surely appreciated what a difference an actual major league shortstop can make.

Now the Red Sox need Story to get back to being the All-Star he was brought here to be.

Fully healthy and with an entire spring training ahead of him, Story has a chance to enjoy a “normal” season for the first time since coming to Boston. We already know he’s a game-changer defensively and he proved down the stretch he can still do damage on the base paths, but for the Red Sox to reach their potential they need Story to be the 30-home run, .900 OPS guy he was in Colorado.

Considering that Boston’s shortstops collectively batted .228 with a .636 OPS in 2023 — both the worst marks on the team for any position — a return to form by Story offensively would provide a massive boost.

It would also represent one of the few ways the club can realistically upgrade its infield this offseason.

Outside of firing third base coach and infield instructor Carlos Febles, who oversaw and failed to turn around the unit’s defensive collapse, there probably won’t be much of an infield shakeup coming this offseason. Story will play shortstop, Devers third base, Casas first base, and second base will likely remain a revolving door until the club’s rising young middle infielders are ready for primetime.

There’s also the question of whether or not the Red Sox bring back Justin Turner, but either way he likely won’t play a major role in Boston’s infield going forward. If he stays he’ll play mostly at designated hitter and if he leaves it’s more likely Masataka Yoshida would take over the bulk of the DH duties rather than Devers or Casas.

So if this is going to be the group, what can fans expect?

Devers is a franchise cornerstone and even amid what felt like a difficult year at the plate, he still wound up hitting 33 home runs with 100 RBI. Casas had a terrific rookie year and during the second half emerged as one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.

As for their defense, a new infield instructor could do both a world of good, and with Casas specifically it’s easy to forget he’s only 23. He’s got plenty of room to grow and with more time in the majors should continue to develop defensively.

How about second base? It doesn’t make sense for the Red Sox to make a multi-year commitment to another middle infielder considering that a whole wave of highly regarded prospects is nearing the majors. Enmanuel Valdez and Ceddanne Rafaela have already debuted, and it’s not a stretch to imagine top prospect Marcelo Mayer breaking into the big leagues by late summer too.

The most likely scenario feels like the Red Sox rolling with some combination of Luis Urias, Pablo Reyes, Valdez or another one-year signing, with Rafaela an option as a super-utility player if he winds up on the MLB roster.

No matter how you draw it up, the Red Sox have some impressive pieces in place and could boast one of the best infields in baseball next year. But if that’s going to happen, Story is the key, and this group will ultimately go as far as he can take it.

According to Bonaci’s player profile on MiLB.com, he was placed on the restricted list on Oct. 4. He’s been sent home from the Arizona Fall League after two games. Tyler McDonough will take his place.

It’s the second abrupt pause in the 21-year-old infielder’s playing career this year; weeks after his promotion to Double-A Portland, he was placed on the reserve list on Aug. 30 and sent home to Venezuela. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, it was unofficial administrative leave.

How he violated the policy is not yet known, nor is the length of his stay on the restricted list.

Both MLB and SoxProspects.com rank the infielder as the organization’s No. 11 prospect.

In other news

The Red Sox played Kaleb Ort on outright waivers on Wednesday. The 31-year-old right-hander made his Major League debut in 2021, pitching one scoreless appearance in which he faced three batters, gave up one hit, one walk, and recorded one out in 2021. Over the subsequent two seasons, he owns a 6.31 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 46 appearances, including 21 this year.

Kyle Barraclough is the latest Red Sox player to elect free agency, following Christian Arroyo and Caleb Hamilton on Oct. 2. Barraclough, a 33-year-old journeyman, sacrificed his stat line in Boston’s 13-5 loss to the Houston Astros at the end of August. Over the last 4.1 innings, he was shelled for 10 earned runs on 11 hits, two homers, five walks, and one strikeout. In the later frames, Alex Cora offered to use a position player, but Barraclough refused. It was his third and final appearance for the big-league club.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched another postseason gem on Tuesday night. Over seven innings, the former Red Sox ace held the Baltimore Orioles to one earned run on five hits, struck out seven, and didn’t issue a walk, leading the Texas Rangers to an ALDS sweep.

Eovaldi hasn’t issued a walk over his first two playoff starts. According to Stathead, he’s the 11th pitcher in MLB history to make at least two starts in a single postseason and issue zero walks. David Price and Luis Tiant are also on the list, but it’s never been done by a Red Sox pitcher.

Red Sox fans should be immensely grateful that Brian Cashman didn’t think Bryce Harper was a fit for the New York Yankees. The two-time MVP homered twice in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, the first multi-homer and 14th multi-hit postseason game of his career.

If Chris Sale could stay healthy, and if the 37-year-old Corey Kluber could replicate his strong 2022 with Tampa Bay, the Red Sox could have one of the best one-two punches atop their rotation in baseball.

If Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello could take the next step as reliable, big-league starters, the Red Sox could be set up for years to come.

If James Paxton could put his injury woes behind him, and if Nick Pivetta could remain a consistent innings-eater, the rotation could turn into a monster.

That’s a lot of “ifs,” and with the benefit of hindsight it’s clear Boston’s plan was fatally over-optimistic.

The problem with any high-risk, high-reward approach is when it doesn’t work out, things can get ugly in a hurry. Though there were certainly other failures along the way — poor defense, lack of depth at key positions — Boston’s inability to protect itself from a cascade of worst-case scenarios in the starting rotation ultimately spelled the club’s doom.

Sale, obviously, did not stay healthy and lacked consistency for stretches when he was available. Kluber was an unmitigated disaster, lasting only nine starts before being pulled from the rotation with a 6.26 ERA and eventually shut down due to a right shoulder injury. Pivetta was also removed from the rotation due to poor performance, though he rebounded after shifting to the bullpen, and Paxton initially enjoyed an incredible bounce-back before running out of gas in the second half.

As for the youngsters, Bello did take a step forward as hoped but Whitlock and Houck did not. Whitlock endured three trips to the injured list and wasn’t consistent or effective for the majority of the season. Houck’s two-month stint on the IL after being hit with a line drive was fluky and unfortunate, but before and after the injury he struggled to pitch deep into games, an issue he’s struggled to overcome throughout his career.

Kutter Crawford’s emergence as a dependable big league starter was a positive development, but after joining the rotation full-time in early June he only averaged 4.2 innings and 77.3 pitches per start.

That’s pretty much in line with what Boston got from the rest of its rotation, and if the Red Sox hope to turn things around next season they’ll need their starters to pitch much deeper into games.

Red Sox starters threw 774.1 innings, which ranked fourth-worst in MLB and placed an unreasonable burden on the club’s bullpen. Unable to consistently pitch into the six inning or later, the Red Sox needed more arms to get through each game, which meant a shorter bullpen over the following days and often a rotating carousel of Triple-A relievers just to keep the ship afloat.

When the club went through its stretch with consistent off-days during mid-summer, the Red Sox made the parade of openers and short-starters work. But once they hit their August marathon of 26 games in 27 days, the wheels fell off.

While the Red Sox have already taken a step to address the problem by firing pitching coach Dave Bush, that alone won’t be enough. Going forward the Red Sox must bring in proven, reliable arms so they can stop hoarding lottery tickets and counting on a few to pay off.

This offseason Boston needs to add two front-of-the-rotation starters at minimum, guys who have shown they can take the ball every five days and pitch deep into games over the course of a long season. Luckily there are tons of good options available, among them 25-year-old Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Phillies workhorse Aaron Nola, Texas’ Jordan Montgomery and San Diego’s Blake Snell. The Red Sox could also swing a big trade, much like they did for Sale in late 2016.

Once the front of the rotation is shored up, the arms Boston already has should slot nicely into more appropriate roles.

Bello wouldn’t be counted on as the staff ace and could continue developing at a natural pace. The 24-year-old gave fans a lot to get excited over this summer, but he still has a lot of room for growth and needs to overcome his strange tendency to fall apart during day games.

The pressure would also be taken off Sale to carry the staff, something he hasn’t been able to do since coming back from Tommy John surgery. If he stays healthy in 2024, great. If he turns back the clock and delivers a Cy Young caliber season, fantastic. But at this point Boston needs to stop counting on those things and instead treat anything they get from Sale as a bonus.

That leaves the No. 5 spot, and if the rest of the rotation is on a solid foundation the Red Sox could permit themselves a high-upside gamble.

As bad as things started, Pivetta ultimately had a good season and finished with 142.2 innings and a team-high 183 strikeouts. Crawford took a step forward and may still have room to grow. Whitlock and Houck had disappointing seasons, but they’ve proven they can be dominant at their best.

So who should start? Let them compete and may the best man win. Whoever emerges in spring training can round out the rotation and the others can help bolster what could become a dominant bullpen.

All things considered the Red Sox pitching staff isn’t in a bad place. There is enough talent, upside and depth to fill out a good rotation, all that’s missing is a central pillar to build around.